Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Rings
by Lithos Maitreya
Summary: After something - or someone - interferes with the Tannhauser that the Pokemon are returning home with, They find themselves in Rivendell, on Middle Earth. What's the rub? Darkrai got here first, and has joined Sauron. Book II in the Team Soul Trilogy.
1. Prologue: The World has Shifted

**A/N: I know, I know. Sorry. My Beta isn't getting back to me on the Spirit's Lament. Here you go. To those of you who are new, welcome! This is the sequel to my other story, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake, a PokemonxWarriors crossover. I highly recommend reading it before reading this. Even if you know nothing about Warriors, you should skim it, just to know how the six heroes got together and wound up here. You don't have to, of course, but it might take some time to adjust.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, save perhaps a couple. Nor do I own the worlds. Essentially, I own next to nothing, and I'm not profiting off what I do.**

**And now…**

_**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Rings**_

Arc I

_The Fellowship of the Ring_

**Prologue**

**The World has Shifted**

_The world was changed._

_I could feel it in the Water._

_I could feel it in the Earth._

_I could smell it in the Air._

_Much that once was, was lost. For none now live who remember it._

_But now the world is Shifted once more. That which would have been, may no longer be. That which cannot be, will be._

_And the world will be cast to the Nightmares._

_But even in the darkest of times, there is always hope._

_Yet sometimes fear clouds our vision. Sometimes our strength gives out._

_It is at times like these that a Hero is called for._

_Now we have one. Better; we have _five_._

_The Destroyer of Stars, and the Soul of the Worlds have come to our aid._

_Yet can even they meet this void?_

_Can they stand tall against the power of the Nightmare Lord?_

_Who can say; who can say._

**Grovyle POV**

_I knew next to nothing about Tannhauser wormholes, but I could tell something was wrong. The electric vortex seemed to be fracturing around us, the violet walls disintegrating, purple bolts dissipating into nothingness._

"_What's going on?" I heard Celebi scream._

"_The Tannhauser's going through interference!" Star shouted back. "If we're lucky, it's just natural turbulence!"_

_As though his words were a cue, the Tannhauser tore apart. A rip opened in the side, and we were all sucked out of the safety of the wormhole into the black abyss._

**3****rd**** Person Interlude**

Arceus looked down onto the six wanderers as the wormhole was broken. "**Are you certain… of the wisdom… of this plan, Giratina?"**

"Wisdom?" whispered the Lord of the Dead, chuckling slightly in his sibilant, hissing voice. "Far from it. This cannot truly be called _wisdom_. But the Nightmare cannot be allowed free reign. These six are the only champions to which we can trust his defeat. It is not _wise_, to send Dialga, Celbi, Starbane, and three mortals into the mazes of Yggdrasil, but we have no choice. Darkrai must be quelled."

"**Yes… yes… and he will be…**"

"Yes, my Lord."

**Star POV**

I swore. All of the others had fallen unconscious in the breach. I had not only because I was used to traveling through the Void unaided by a Tannhauser.

My bad temper didn't last long, of course. For at last I could, once again, hear the music of the stars.

Smiling, I suddenly felt a conscious mind near to me. I turned, expecting to see that one of my companions had awoken, but instead, I came face to face with my old guardian, Gardevoir. "Star." She murmured happily. "It's been a long time."

"Gardevoir!" I cried, and embraced her. "It's been too long. Have you rejoined Giratina as a Servant of Spirit?"

"Yes!" she said. "He accepted my request! But listen. Another world has hooked you. Soon you'll start moving. You must do your duty there, Star. All of you. It's destined."

"My duty is unending," I said, smirking. "I serve you always, my Lady."

"Oh, shut up!" she said jokingly, "You silly old fool!" She quickly kissed me then. "Listen. This world you're going to, it's called Middle Earth. It's under threat of destruction by the Dark Lord Sauron. That's how it should be. Unfortunately, Darkrai just got there, and joined that Dark Lord. Your job is to unite with the heroes of Middle Earth and counteract Darkrai. Can you do that?"

"For you, Gardevoir, I can do much, much more than that," I said, smiling at her.

She smiled back and kissed me again. "Then go. Tell none of the others about this. The fewer of you that know, the less likely it is Darkrai will find out that you know about him. Oh, I just remembered!" she added. "Rayquaza said to wish you well. He also wanted me to remind you that you owe him a battle and a flight together through the Stratosphere."

I grinned "Tell him I haven't forgotten," I said. "And ask him why he nevr comes calling. I never see him around anymore! You neither."

She looked down. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Giratina's had me going everywhere. But we will talk later. I promise."

"So do I," I said, hugging her tightly.

She hugged me back, and said softly, into my ear. "Good luck, and with that, I expect to see you again when all this is over."

"As you wish." I whispered back as she vanished in my arms.

3rd Person Interlude

Rivendell. The Elven city. Always in the shadow of the goblin-infested Misty Mountains.

Elrond was standing in the central courtyard of the Last Homely House West of the Mountains when it happened. The event that would change history.

An orb of golden light appeared before the Elf-Lord. It grew until it was the size of a small child. Then it split into six. The six orbs all grew to different sizes, and then dissipated. Their cargo, six beings, all but one unconscious, fell to the earth.

The Heroes Galadriel had prophesied had come.

**A/N: First, explanations. How could they breathe in space, you ask? Simple: they weren't in outer space. They were in the extraplanar reality. The 4****th**** through 6****th**** dimensions, istead of the 1****st**** through 3****rd****, like normal. The Music Between the Stars is the staff roll song from PMD1. And the times Star vanished in the games is when he got experience in Tannhauser-free travel. Thanks. Read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 1: The Mission

**No reviews? Really, guys? Where'd you all go? Oh, well. Maybe you'll review this time. If this is some attempt to get me to write Messiah of Time first, then know this- It isn't getting published until either it, this, or the Spirit's Lament is finished! So you might as well review, 'cause then I write faster!**

**Chapter I**

**The Mission**

**Star POV**

I looked around at the city I found myself in. The buildings were all rather like country houses, and, though they were made of stone, they all seemed to be built, rather, of pure, solidified grace. The morning sun glimmered off their surfaces, and the whole place seemed illuminated with its own light.

Suddenly I noticed a human - like being standing on the balcony of the nearest (and largest) house. He was taller than most men, however, and his ears were sharply pointed. "Hello," I hailed him. "My name is Star. Will you honor me with yours?"

The being smiled. "I am Elrond," he said simply. "I have been expecting you, Destroyer."

I nodded. I'd been sent as a Hero, so it was likely someone had foreseen my coming. "I see you are familiar with my title," I said. "But I doubt either of us can claim to knowledge of the other's species. I am one of the Pokemon Charizard. My companions, too, are Pokemon of different kinds. What are you?"

"I am an elf," replied Elrond. "And I much desire to speak with you on all this. But not now." Here his face turned grave. "The hobbit, Frodo Baggins, who bears the One Ring of Sauron, is with my daughter, Arwen Evenstar, and they are now both under attack by the Nazgûl."

My eyes narrowed. "That's not good," I decided. I thought for a moment, and then asked, "Where?"

"Down the river Bruinen, at the ford," said the elf. "But I cannot ask you –"

"Get my companions into beds, please," I told him, "I will return when I have done this." And so saying, I rose into the air with a flap of my wings, and flew down the river.

I soon reached the Ford of Bruinen, and there I saw another one of the pointy-eared elves – this one a female – on a horse – I knew what horses were from my human life – with a very small person on the saddle with her. On the other side of the river, nine beings in black on black horses faced the two down. I could already tell who was on Elrond's side, and I wasn't about to help those black riders.

With a fearsome roar, I dove. The wind whistled past my face as I flew down at breakneck speed to meet the riders, who, I guessed, were the Nazgûl Elrond had mentioned. They looked up and raised their swords, and I could see the evil aura around the blades (thanks to my training with the Cresselian Convention). They really stood no chance though.

I could fly.

I lifted out of the dive and hovered, just out of their reach. They swung, slashed, and stabbed, but to no avail. Son they started cursing me in their fell voices.

I grinned.

The next instant, fire rained down on the Nazgûl as I used Flamethrower. A single lance of white-hot oblivion lanced down and struck among them.

They seemed uninjured, somehow. I could smell their cloaks burning, but there was no scent of scorched flesh (other than one of the horses, who had gotten burned in the ribs slightly) tainting the air. They did seem afraid, however. Turning, they rode madly away.

I allowed myself a slight chuckle. That had been almost ludicrously easy. Then, turning, I faced the elf and small person, whom I assumed were Arwen and Frodo.

Frodo seemed to have fallen off the horse, and Arwen was standing over him, her sword raised and pointed at me. "Begone, beast!" she cried. "Leave, ere I smite you down with the power that is in me!"

I looked at her dully. "Is this some new kind of politeness, greeting allies with sharp metal things?" I deadpanned.

She blinked. "What do you mean, beast? Whose ally are you? Who would ally themselves – nay – who _could_ ally themselves with the dragons of the mountains?"

My eyes narrowed. "I wish you'd stop just calling me 'Beast'." I said. "I have a name. Star. Four letters, one syllable. Not too hard, is it? Come now, say it with me. _Star_. You're not saying it."

Now she was looking at me as though I was insane. I sighed. "All right, we'll talk later. What's wrong with the hobbit?"

"He has been stabbed by a Morgul blade, wielded by the Witch King, whom you just defeated," she said. "You swear that you are no enemy to us?"

"On my word as an Explorer," I said, landing beside her and looking down on Frodo's pale face. "What can be done for him?"

"My father can cure him," she said. "But in a few hours, it will be too late."

"I can fly faster than your horse can run," I said. "I have just come from Rivendell, where I met your father, oh Arwen Evenstar. I will take him to Elrond's home."

She looked at me, as though deciding whether or not to trust me. Then she shook her head. "No." she said, softly. "This hobbit is the hope for all the free races of Middle Earth. I will not jeopardize him so. I will take him. You may come."

I nodded, not at all surprised. "As you say, Lady Arwen." Then I flew up above the trees and followed her as her horse galloped, with them on it, back to Rivendell.

**Grovyle POV – A few hours later**

I awoke. I was lying in a soft heather bed, with my head on a downy pillow. Definitely the most comfortable I'd ever been. Both on Arcea and among the Clans, we'd had beds of straw or moss. But I couldn't lie around forever. I sat up. To my left, I saw Celebi, sleeping peacefully. To my right were Dusknoir and Algator, both also fast asleep. All three of them were on beds like mine.

_Where are Star and Dialga?_ I wondered. _I have to find them. Perhaps they have answers._

I swung my legs over the left side of the bed and stood up. Leaning down, I pecked Celebi on the forehead. She mumbled something unintelligible and turned over, a smile now on her face. I grinned, and, turning, walked out of the door.

I found myself outside, in the main courtyard (had I known it, it was the same place as we appeared). And there was Dialga, his massive bulk lying on its side, quite as asleep as the others. And there was Star, talking to a strange, pointy-eared humanlike being. I made my way over to them. Star spotted me as came towards him, and pointed me out to the other.

"And here he is now!" he said, continuing his conversation. "Lord Elrond, this is my friend and companion, Grovyle. Grovyle, this is the Elf-Lord Elrond. He's the master of this town of Rivendell."

I bowed slightly to Elrond, and he smiled at me. Then I turned back to Star. "What happened?" I asked him quietly. "We get ripped out of a Tannhauser, and then I wake up here. I guess it wasn't natural turbulence?"

Star smirked. "No, it wasn't. This world – Middle Earth – needs our help. They called for a Hero, and Arceus answered with us. We need to counteract… er… well, he's here, Grovyle. He shouldn't be, but he is. The Nightmare Lord."

I took a step backward, stunned. "What? You're kidding! We just beat him!"

"I know," said Star. "But since Dialga needs to charge his power before we can leave, I, at least, plan to help this world out while we're here."

"Me too," I said. "Anything to beat that demon of a Nightmare."

He nodded. "I agree. There's supposed to be a council here in a few days. People will be arriving over the next few days from everywhere. We'll go to the council and see what we can do. Agreed?"

"Agreed," I said. "Now, shall we go wake the others?"

**Celebi POV**

Grovyle shook me awake. The bed I found myself on was so soft I almost closed my eyeds again as soon as they'd opened. I managed to look up at him, though.

"Is everyone all right?" I asked. "Where are we? What happened?"

"Everyone's fine. We're in a world called Middle Earth. We got sucked out of the Tannhauser to here," he answered in quick succession. Then he asked, "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine," I told him. "Seriously. But I'd be happier if I knew what was going on."

"I just woke up, so I don't know much," he answered. "But here's what I do. When we fell out of the Tannhauser, we landed here. And, by coincidence or destiny, this is where Darkrai is, too. He's allied with this world's Dark Lord, Sauron, for mutual strength.

"Star and I have decided that the two of us, at least, are going to join with this world's heroes to counteract him. That's where things stand now. Any more decisions are going to wait until the Council in a few days. Any clearer now?"

"A little," I whispered, yawning. Hopping off the bed, I caught myself with my wings before I hit the ground, and hovered up to Grovyle's face level. I looked around. Star had woken Algator, and they were now explaining to Dusknoir the situation.

I looked back at Grovyle. Suddenly the thoughts that had been fermenting in my brain burst forth. We were in another world, not our own. And now we had to save it.

"Not again," I moaned, sinking into his arms.

**See you soon, all! I'll be back! Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 2: Gandalf the Wizard

**Are you guys **_**trying **_**to make me stop writing? It WILL NOT WORK! Seriously, though. Review, please.**

**Chapter II**

**Gandalf the Wizard**

**Dusknoir POV**

Star shook me awake. He and Algator were leaning over me. "You all right?" asked Algator.

"Fine," I said, standing from the fluffy bed I was lying on and stretching. "Where are we?"

"A world called Middle Earth." Star replied. "Darkrai's here too. I think we ought to stop him."

"Agreed." I said simply. "What now?"

"We wait," replied Algator. "Meanwhile, Star, I'd like to meet this Elrond character."

"Elrond?" I asked, confused. "Who's that?"

"He's an elf," said Star. "Think human with pointy ears and angled eyebrows. He's head of this town of Rivendell. He also knew we were coming. We've been sent as Heroes, see. So someone likely got a prophecy."

"Ah," I nodded. "Then let us meet him."

Grovyle and Celebi joined us, and we five exited the room. An elf (I assumed) was waiting outside in the courtyard. Star introduced us to him. Apparently this was Elrond.

He looked from one to another of us, examining us each in turn. "There is certainly much… variety… in your race," He told Star, who chuckled. Before any of us could reply, however, a cry of "The eagles are coming sounded from somewhere to our right.

We all turned, and there in the sky, was the single largest bird any of us had ever seen. Atop its head something shone like gold, and there was a gray figure on its back. It landed in the courtyard with us, and examined all six of us Pokemon (though Dialga was still unconscious) with something like shock and bewilderment.

The gray figure leapt down from its back and called, "Hail Elrond. Who or what are these strange creatures?"

"These are the Heroes Galadriel prophesied." Elrond replied. "This," he gestured at Star, "Is the Destoyer of Stars. And these three," he pointed at Celebi, Grovyle, and myself in turn, "Are the Soul of the Worlds."

Grovyle snorted. "That's new," he muttered to Celebi, who giggled.

"Ah! I understand now," said the gray figure, who I could now see was an old, gray-bearded man in a gray cloak, with a gray-blue pointed hat and an ancient, oaken staff in his right hand. Leaning on it, he said to us, "My apologies, noble warriors. I have never seen beings like you before." Then he turned to the eagle. "Thank you, my Lord Gwaihir. If you ever have need of me henceforth, do not hesitate to send word."

"I fear that time may not be long in coming, with the darkness that creeps across the Earth growing so powerful," said the eagle in a voice sounding oddly like the call of a bird. "Yet I thank you. Farewell, wherever you fare, 'till your aerie receives you at the journey's end!"

"May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks," replied the old man, in what was clearly a customary farewell. Then, as the eagle took flight, he turned to us. "Welcome, Heroes. I am Gandalf the Wizard. Though I have heard your titles, your names are as yet obscure to me. May I be enlightened?"

We introduced ourselves, one by one. Then Gandalf turned to Elrond. "Has Frodo arrived? Is he safe?"

"He is," answered the elf. "He was stabbed by the blade of one of the Nazgûl a few days ago, but the fragment lodged in his body has been removed."

"Good. Very good," said Gandalf. "Is he awake?"

"Not yet," Elrond told him. "Nor is he showing any signs of stirring in the near future."

"Very well. What of his companions?"

"I see you are well informed as ever, Gandalf." Elrond murmured, his eyes twinkling. "They have not yet arrived. Arwen went to them and brought Frodo here. They should come in a few hours."

Suddenly, the stomachs of all five of us Pokemon who had awoken already rumbled in turn. Gandalf smiled at this, and said, "It is clear that any more conversation must be postponed 'till after dinner. Is there already food prepared, my Lord Elrond?"

"It is," replied the elf. "Come." And he led us to the dining hall.

The room was filled largely with one large table surrounded by chairs. Only the very end near to us was set with food and cutlery for five. It was all vegetarian – clearly they knew of our sensitivities – And it looked delicious. "It is not too much," Elrond said, "For there shall be a feast later to celebrate the successful arrival of Frodo and his companions, once they do arrive. This is merely to satisfy your hunger for a time. Please, eat."

The five of us sat, and instantly dug in to whichever dish suited us best. After a time, Elrond stopped us. "I beg your pardon, Heroes, but I do beg that, at least at the feast later, you use the silverware."

Star laughed. "My goodness. It's been so long since I was human, I quite forgot how to act as one. I beg your pardon, Master Elrond. I will be sure to teach my companions at least the rudimentary usage of the fork and knife."

All those of us who had never been human stared at him uncomprehendingly. Turning back to us, he said, "All right. Now I'm sure you all noticed the metal things to the sides of your plates?" when we all nodded, he continued. "Okay, each of you pick up the pronged one." We all did. "That's a fork. You use it like this." He demonstrated.

He did the same with each piece of silverware, explaining how to eat each dish. When he had finished, Algator said simply, "It seems a bit ridiculous to me. Why bother?"

Star's grin widened. "Grovyle, as you'll soon learn, with humans and the like, there's two kinds of warfare. One involves attacking the enemy with sharp objects, and the other involves attacking them with sharp words. Learning etiquette is one of the first steps to being combative in the latter."

"I thought the saying went, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?'" Celebi asked.

Star laughed. "Keep that philosophy going among humans, and see how long you survive. No, Celebi. In any world with humans, you'll find that in your entire arsenal, your greatest weapon is the spoken word."

**Chapter done. Please, guys. Review this time. Okay?**


	4. Chapter 3: Aragorn and Company

**I'm not going to bother complaining about the lack of reviews. Anyway, thus far, it's seemed to me that Algator is very… well, for want of a better word, flat. So, here's a chapter in his POV. Hope it works!**

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><p><strong>Chapter III<strong>

**Aragorn and Company**

* * *

><p><strong>Algator POV<strong>

When we had finished we joined Elrond and Gandalf, who were talking with some other elves, all of whom seemed rather carefree, based on their semi-constant laughter. It seemed we were the subject matter, for Gandalf, spotting us, said, "And here they are!" drawing the Elves' attention.

"Hello," Star said. "What is it?"

"We were asking Lord Elrond and Gandalf what they know of you," said the elves, laughing. "They know scarcely more than we do ourselves, it seems. Come, tell us your tale, or better, sing it in a song!"

Star's eyebrow ridges rose. "Well, if it's a song you want…" he trailed off as he turned to me, grinning. All three members of Team Soul looked from him to me and back again as blood rushed to my face, tinting a few of my blue scales red.

"What?" asked Celebi.

"Well, I'll just say that there's more to Algator than meets the eye," Star told her, winking at me.

"You know I hate singing…" I muttered. "I just write the songs."

"You didn't have so many qualms when you sand the Song of Time when we were at the Temple of Victory,*" Star smirked at me.

"That was different! We were saving the world then! This is just telling a story! You can do that perfectly well without music!"

"Not as well, though. And for the record, you sang well there. Come on, prepare a song for us. Sing it tonight or tomorrow."

"…Fine." I agreed finally. "I'll kill you for this, Star."

"I know," he replied, grinning. "_So _worth it, though."

By this time the elves were all laughing musically at our antics. "Is this how you two normally function?" Gandalf asked Star, smiling slightly.

"Pretty much, unless we're too busy saving the world," Star said.

Before anything else could be said, another elf ran past us from the woods, crying out joyously in some other language. Instantly, the other elves bade us good day and ran in the direction from which he had come. Gandalf translated for us.

"That elf that ran past said, 'The Dúnadan is here! The Dúnadan is come!'" he told us. "This means that Frodo's companions have arrived. Come, let us greet them."

We followed him through the woods along a dirt path. Soon we reached a place where elves were along the path at both sides, singing merry songs. On the path, there were five beings, none of which were elves. There was one which was clearly a human. Three others were rather like humans, but shorter, with slightly pointed ears (Though not as prominent as those of elves), and with fur on their feet, forming something like a natural shoe. The last was four legged, and was rather like a less potent variation on a Ponyta.

"Gandalf," the human cried as he saw the Wizard, and was about to come forward to embrace the older man when he saw us and stopped in surprise. The smaller creatures were clearly intimidated.

"Aragorn, old friend," said Gandalf, smiling. "Introductions are in order, it seems. These are Heroes from another land, who have been sent to help us in this time of trials."

He introduced each of us in turn, along with the absurd titles we'd been given. I had none, as of yet, but I didn't mind. Who needed some ridiculous title? I'd been by Star every step of the way on the road to save the world, both the first and second tine he did it. And even though no one recognized it, I knew. And so did he.

When the introductions were completed (apparently the smaller people were 'hobbits') Celebi asked, "And who is this? They're very quiet," while looking into the eyes of the Ponyta-doppelganger.

"That's a pony, Celebi," Star said, chuckling. "Commonly used as a beast of burden by humans, and about as sentient as the mice the Clans hunted."

The elves all laughed, and Celebi blushed. "Hey, don't worry about it," I said. "Star never tells anyone anything in advance."

"That is an outrageous lie," Star said, sounding rather resigned to the fact that he'd lose this argument.

"Oh, really? Then explain my noticeable _lack _of knowledge in advance _both times_ you disappeared after we saved the world?" I asked with a sort of joking sharpness.

"That was different."

"You always say that."

"We were saving the world then."

"We aren't now, and you're still doing it to Celebi."

"We kind of are. I mean, we're being thrown into a war against two evil Dark Lords. I think that counts," he told me.

"What, exactly, does that have to do with not telling us about ponies?" I asked him, one eyebrow raised.

"That's for me to know, and you to endlessly stew over," he deadpanned.

By now all the elves and the hobbits were, again, laughing at our argument. Gandalf was chuckling as well, and Aragorn snorted. "You two seem remarkably light-hearted, for all your ferocious appearance," he said.

"Ferocious?" said Star in mock horror. "I'll have you know I am among the most gentle of all Pokemon!"

"Except with Darkrai," I added for him.

"Except with Darkrai," he agreed.

"You said something about _two _Dark Lords?" one of the hobbits – Sam Gamgee was his name – suddenly said. Immediately everyone else stopped laughing. The gravity of that statement had struck them all.

"Yes, Master Gamgee, I'm afraid so," said Star quietly. "But the full tale will have to wait a while. After all, Algator is preparing a song, aren't you, old friend?" Here he grinned at me.

"Shut up," I told him flatly. Turning to the hobbit, I said, "We come from the world of Arcea. In that place, the Lord of Nightmares has four times tried to cast the world into eternal darkness. The five of us have stopped him each time. Now he's fled to your world. We intend to stop him here, before he can try it again."

"Eternal darkness?" asked Gandalf. "Surely 'eternal is too certain a word? It implies that once it is done, it is irreversible."

"It was," said Celebi softly, almost sadly.

"Enough," said Star. "I don't think this story is one anyone would like to either tell or hear twice. We will tell it when everyone is gathered and Frodo is awake."

"Mister Frodo! Is he all right?" Sam asked quickly.

"He will be fine, Master Gamgee," said Elrond. "But he will not awaken for some time. Come, now. There is a feast prepared in your honor tonight for your success thus far. I expect you are hungry." They clearly were. "Let us go to eat."

We all did.

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><p><strong>*This has to do with the one time that Star saved the world that wasn't in one of the games. That time with Charizard the Avenger's battle armor. I may write a story about that when the Team Soul Trilogy is done.<strong>

**I would ask if you all liked the chapter, but I know you won't answer, so I'll just make like Gardevoir and say "Au Revoir."**


	5. Chapter 4: A Welcoming Feast

**A/N: First, hooray! I got a review! Thank you, DragonBlade152! Check out their stories, I've liked all of them that I've read! And second, a note: All the events prior to Rivendell are based off the book, not the movie (with the sole exception that Arwen came to help Frodo and not Glorfindel). It shouldn't matter that much, but if you haven't read them, there might be a bit of confusion. Now, enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter IV<strong>

**A Welcoming Feast**

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><p><strong>Celebi POV<strong>

The feast was long, and there were more foods than I could count. Over the course of the meal I found myself talking to the two sitting on either side of me, those being Grovyle and the hobbit Merry.

"So I picked those three stooges up from Mr. Maggot," Merry continued, telling myself and Govyle the story of what had happened since he and his three hobbit companions had left Hobbiton. "And we crossed over the river to Buckland. When we reached crickhollow, Frodo finally plucked up courage to tell us he was leaving…"

"And of course, you ruined it by telling him you already knew," Grovyle said, chuckling. "You are a sneaking little blighter, aren't you?"

"I try, Mr. Grovlye, I do try," said Merry, grinning childishly. "Anyhow, old Fatty stayed behind to keep the illusion of Frodo staying up, and the four of us went into the old forest." Here his smile faded. "I won't tell you everything we went through in there. It was too horrible. We were saved from it time and again though by the Master of the forest, a Mr. Tom Bombadil."

"I'd like to meet him one day," I muttered. "Maybe I'll go there and find him if there's time." I was, after all, the Guardian of the Forest, and I'd much like to meet this forsest's benevolent Master.

"I urge you not to, Miss Celebi," said Merry hurriedly. "I've been through that forest, and I can attest that enchantments are as thick on the ground there as fallen leaves. That place is dangerous."

"You'd be hard pressed to find the forest enchantment that could harm _me_," I told the hobbit lightly. "I weave them, after all."

"It's not just the forest," he said, shuddering. "There's also the Barrow-Wights. I urge you, Miss Celebi, don't go that way. That forest is unforgiving to tresspassers."

"Barrow-Wights?" Grovyle asked him curiously. "What are they?"

"A kind of ghost," said Star, sitting across from us. All three of us looked at him. "The only Pokemon I think qualifies as a Barrow-Wight (or at least the only one I can remember now) is Cofagrigus. Barrow-Wights haunt the site of their burial. If they weren't buried, then they aren't Barrow-Wights."

Grovyle nodded. "Okay." Then he looked at me. "Celebi, If you go there, you are taking me and Dusknoir. Trees are one thing, but vengeful ghosts are a whole different ballgame."

"I have to agree," I said. "I thought we were just dealing with trees. Anyway, Merry, you got out of the old forest, and headed for Bree. What then?"

"We reached the Prancing Pony inn," Merry resumed, "And talked to the innkeeper, Mr. Butterbur. It seemed that Gandalf was not there. He still hasn't explained properly for that."

"I told you, Master Hobbit, I was delayed," said Gandalf loudly from a few spaces down the table.

"Yes, yes you have. And if that qualifies as a proper explanation, I'm a Bracegirdle," Merry called back, earning laughter from many of the elves. Turning back two the two of us, he continued, "Mr. Strider," – I'd learned that this was what the hobbits called Aragorn – "on the other hand, was. He protected us that night, and the next day, led us out of Bree. We headed here. But one night we stayed on the hill of Weathertop, and then the Black riders attacked again. They stabbed Frodo. We… we thought he was going to… well, die. He's okay now, though. Anyway, Lady Arwen found us a couple nights later, and she took Frodo here. I hear the Black Riders caught up with her at the Ford of Bruinen, though and that Mr. Star –" he nodded at our friend across the table, "–Drove them off."

Star nodded. "That I did. It wasn't really a fair contest, though." Here he grinned evilly. "You can't hit a flyer with a sword, after all."

Grovyle nodded. "Tactics 101," he muttered, and I chuckled.

"Anyhow, will you explain no more of yourselves now?" asked Merry. "Who is this 'Lord of Nightmares you mentioned? Will you say nothing at all more than you have already?"

"All right Merry," I said. "I'll tell you a little, but the full story will wait, because it's long."

"A little is enough," he said, looking at me with rapt attention.

"All right. The Lord of Nightmares is named Darkrai. A thousand years ago he tried to cause a calamity that mould ruin our world. Star and Algator stopped him. A little later, he tried again, and again they stopped him. Then he tried again, and they weren't able to that time. The world was turned to darkness. But five hundred years later, I sent Grovyle and Star (who was a human then – long story) back in time to prevent the calamity. They met Algator (Star and he both didn't remember each other – another long story) and the three of them succeeded, though Dusknoir tried to stop them. He was evil then, you see."

"Not really," Grovyle interrupted. "He just didn't want to disappear. See, if the past changes, everyone from the future disappears. So, while Star, Celebi, and I were willing to make that sacrifice, Dusknoir wasn't at first. Go on, Celebi."

"Thank you, my dear Grovyle," I said sharply. Then I sighed. "Of course, you're right. Anyhow, before they could change the future, Dusknoir and Grovyle forced one another back to our time. There Grovyle convinced Dusknoir to join our side. The three of us did our part to prevent an agent of Darkrai named Primal Dialga from stopping Star and Algator. Then we disappeared because the past had been changed. We reappeared in another world, inhabited by cats. We purified Dialga there, and then Darkrai came. Star repelled him, and he fled here. But back to Star and Algator in the past. After changing the future, Star disappeared. He didn't reappear with us, though. He reappeared months later in our world. He and Algator grew stronger there for a long time, and stopped Darkrai once more. Then they followed us to the cats' world. That's your abridged version."

Merry was looking at me now. "I see that there's a lot to hear," he said. "I'm interested to hear the rest, but I suppose it'll have to wait. Thank you for telling me what you have."

"No trouble," I said, yawning. I was full, and now I was getting sleepy.

Grovyle seemed to agree. "Lord Elrond," he called across the long table. Elrond looked at him. "Where can the five of us stay?"

"Is the room you first awoke in to your liking?" asked the elf–Lord.

"I think so," Grovyle replied. "We'll sleep there?"

"Yes," said Elrond, nodding.

"Thank you," said Grovyle suddenly he reached down and swept me into his arms. I was barely able to stifle a giggle, and was completely unable to hold back the blush that spread across my features. Many of the elves laughed. "Then I'm afraid we must retire," he continued, standing. "We are tired, and though the food is excellent, I fear neither of us can eat another bite."

"Very well," said Elrond, smiling in amusement at Grovyle's antics (though I didn't see much to laugh about. It was surprisingly comfortable in his arms, though, I had to admit…) "Good night to the both of you."

"Good night," Grovyle called back (I would have, but I didn't trust myself to speak), and carried me out towards our room.

Oh, Arceus.

_Our room?_

No. I had to continue to think about it as 'the room set aside for the five of us'.

We reached our – _the _room, and Grovle lay me down on one of the beds, sitting on the one beside it. Facing me, he grinned cheekily. "You're very silent, my dear Celebi," he said flippantly.

"I'm trying to decide how best to kill you," I said, giving him a deadpan stare. "What were you thinking, pulling something like that surrounded by everyone?"

"So what if we were surrounded?" he asked. "As long as it's not too much (and that was all really just in the spirit of fun) I've got nothing against showing my affection for you in public. I'm not ashamed of it."

I glared at him. "Don't you dare insinuate that I might be ashamed of my love for you, Grovyle. Do you know why Legendaries aren't affected by the move 'Attract'? It's out of loyalty to our one true love! That being you, for me!"

He stared at me, eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

I wasn't really sure what part of my sentence he was talking about, but it didn't really matter, since the answer was the same regardless. "Absolutely."

There was a moment's silence as we stared at one another, and then, without warning of any kind, his lips were on mine. My arms compulsively rose to wrap around his neck, and his embraced me back.

We separated all too soon. We were both breathing heavily as he sat back down – on my bed this time – with me on his lap. He looked down at me, and I looked up at him. There was a light in his eyes I'd only ever seen once before, a few days ago, after our first kiss.

"Arceus, why did I wait three hundred years?" I whispered to myself.

"It's probably better this way," Grovyle said. "We both thought we had next to nothing to live for, so we were able to change the future. Still though, I have to agree." And he kissed me again.

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><p><strong>AN: You guys all know I love good GrovylexCelebi fluff. There isn't enogh to satisfy me, so I write some. Here it is. And now, good day.**


	6. Chapter 5: Mythology Reorganized

**A/N: Second update in three days! Not half bad!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not sure if I posted this before, but I'm posting it now for the whole story. I own nothing you recognize from canon.**

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><p><strong>Chapter V<strong>

**Mythology Reorganized**

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><p><strong>Dusknoir POV<strong>

I smiled as I watched Grovyle carry Celebi out. The elves were all laughing about it. Sam, sitting beside me, asked, "Are those two married, Mr. Dusknoir?"

I frowned. "Married? What is that?"

"It happens to be one of the few things Star actually told me about," Algator stated on my other side. "Marriage is a sort of bonding ritual for humans and similar creatures. To answer your question, Sam, no. They are not what you'd call married. We don't have the same rituals, but they haven't undergone ours yet either."

Sam frowned. "is it proper, then to allow them to be alone together?"

"In our customs, it is perfectly acceptable," said Algator simply. "We have very different traditions. And in any case, I trust the two of them not to do anything altogether foolish."

Sam shrugged. "Very well, Mr. Algator."

"Please, just Algator," said the Feraligatr. "I am sure we'll get to know each other much better over the next few months, so we may as well start now."

"I second that," I stated.

"All right... Algator, Dusknoir," said the hobbit.

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><p><strong>Star POV<strong>

Now that Grovyle and Celebi were gone, Merry had turned his attention to me. After watching me in contemplative silence for a while, he said, "You seem almost jealous of those two."

I looked up from my plate at him, frowning thoughtfully. _Yes,_ I supposed, _I am slightly jealous. Not out of some desire to be in Grovyle's place, though…_

I nodded. "I am, a little. Not out of some misplaced wish for Celebi to love me rather than Grovyle. I merely miss my love, and wish that she were here with us too."

"Why isn't she?" Merry asked, curiously, though not unkindly.

"That is a hard question to answer," I said, leaning thoughtfully back in my chair. "Part of it is, of course, because she is dead, but that's not all of it."

"She needs more reason than simply death not to join you?" Merry asked, confused.

"She's a Servant of Spirit," I explained. "And so, cannot truly die. She served the Lord of the Dead as he regulates the destiny of the living."

"I've never heard of a 'Lord of the Dead,'" said Merry. "Is he of your world?"

"Yes," I told him. "He is one of the Four Lords of Coronet, who are among the more powerful of our worlds deities."

"Your lover is one of the Maiar?" Gandalf asked me from down the table, and, rising, came over to sit where Grovyle had.

"Maiar?" I repeated, frowning. This must be part of their specific culture, which was different from that of the human world I'd come from.

"The immortal servants of the Valar," he explained.

"The Valar are the gods of this world?" I asked him.

"Essentially, yes."

"Then yes, in a way. Our world works differently. The equivalents of your Maiar are most likely the Servants of Time, Space, and Spirit. Dusknoir is a Servant of Time, for instance," I said. "And then there's me and Algator. The Chosen Heroes."

Gandalf frowned. "What of the Soul of the Worlds? Do they not qualify?"

"Their title's new," I replied. "Never thought of them as being Heroes 'till now, not in that sense."

"Indeed," said Gandalf, frowning. "That surprises me."

"Don't reflect judgment on them based on that," I told the Wizard. "Their Heroes now, whatever they were before."

"Yes…" Gandalf said slowly. "Yes, I suppose they are."

"And in any case," I added. "Celebi is, in fact, considered a minor deity. So, in fact, two out of three of Team Soul is, in fact, at least Maiar."

"Miss Celebi is a goddess?" Merry asked, shocked.

"That depends on who you ask," I told him. "Grovyle would, no doubt say she was, if for slightly different reasons. Many others would say she is. She is only a minor Legendary, however, so some might group her with the Maiar."

Gandalf nodded. "I see," he began, and was about to ask another question when Elrond stood up, at the head of the table, wineglass in hand.

"A toast!" he stated. All those who still could stand, did. This was everyone save one old hobbit, who had fallen asleep in his chair. I followed suit, and I could see my fellow Arceans doing the same.

"First, to the safe return of Gandalf the Wizard from the clutches of the Enemy!" said Elrond to the now-silent (mostly) assembly.

Everyone but Gandalf cried, "Hear!" and drank one sip of their wine. I did the same, and so did the others.

"To the coming of Aragorn of the Dúnadan, and his success in bringing three hobbits safely to our halls!" Elrond said.

Again, everyone cried, "Hear!" and drank one more sip. This time the exception was Aragorn.

Now Elrond said, "And lastly, to our most estimable guests, Star, Algator, Dusknoir, Grovyle, Celebi, and Dialga of Arcea!"

This time everyone except us cried, "Hear!" and drank. Our reactions were varying. Algator looked around in surprise and some embarrassment. Dusknoir stayed impassive as ever. I smiled slightly.

As soon as the toast was done, before everyone sat, I said, loudly, "And another toast to Master Elrond for his generosity and hospitality!"

All the elves laughed and everyone cried, "Hear!" save Elrond, who simply stood and smiled at me.

Then we all sat. The meal was soon over, and we headed to another room. Elves stood up there and recited verses and songs of their own creation. After listening to a few, I headed over to Algator.

"Getting ideas and inspiration, old friend?" I asked, grinning.

"Yes, actually," he said coldly. "These elves are all remarkably good poets."

"But you're better, I hope? I wouldn't like for our bard to be outshone by our hosts," I said, my grin turning into a smirk.

"Oh, shut up and go away, Star. You don't know anything," said Algator. "But don't worry. I may not be better than them, but I do have a very different style. So whatever happens, it'll be striking, at least."

"Good!" I said. "Where would we be without drama?" and, clapping my paw on his shoulder, I trotted off to talk to the hobbits. They were almost as amusing as Wigglytuff.

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><p><strong>AN: Am I even talking to anyone? Whatever. Good day.**


	7. Chapter 6: Gathering Clouds

**A/N: If you've read 'The Hobbit', you know where the chapter title came from. If you tell me in a review correctly, you can make a (non-plot) request for something to happen in this story. I mean like a fluff scene, or who should be good friends with whom, that king of thing. Now, fair warning: at the end of this chapter things get to the point where I almost put it at T rating. Almost, but not quite. It's sort of just hard K+. Just fair warning, so don't flame me. If you don't like it, just say, and I won't put something like that in again. Okay? Thanks.**

**Also, another note: this story may well get put in T rating for violence later on. I mean, it's Lord of the Rings. Orcs keep on getting slaughtered. Nothing I can do about that. If I can, I'll keep it K+. No promises, though.**

**Chapter VI**

**Gathering Clouds**

**Grovyle POV**

Everyone had gone to bed after the feast. The next morning, Dialga had awoken – naturally ravenous. The Elves had assumed he ate meat, due to his ferocious appearance, but Star – one step ahead, as always – had managed to enlighten them otherwise before they insulted the Dragon of Time by giving him a platter of cooked flesh. Instead, a large dish of fruits and vegetables was provided. The plants that grew in this world were very different from those of our world, and we'd all developed different tastes.

All that day was spent by each of us as we desired (unless you counted Algator's noticeable lack of enthusiasm to be composing a song to tell our story). Star was holed up in a library, taking in everything he could about the history of Middle Earth. Dusknoir was with him. Celebi and I spent the day in upkeep of our newfound romance.

During that day a company of Dwarves who served Dáin, the King under the Mountain, came to Rivendell. We were all introduced to them. They seemed much less trustful of us than the Elves, as was clear with one particular event between them and Star and Dusknoir:

The two Arceans had spent all the day thus far studying Middle Earth's history. Rivendell's libraries contained a lot about Elf-lore, and a considerable amount of information on the Men of Númenor, but Dwarves were conspicuously absent. So were Hobbits, but Gandalf had assured them that Hobbit-lore had very little to do with the history of Middle Earth as a whole, up until recently, and that we'd all hear about that part later. So Star and Dusknoir went to the Dwarves to ask for information.

As soon as the dwarves saw them, they all froze. That much was absolutely excusable, considering that they were being approached by two of the (arguably) most dangerous Mortals in existence. What was not excusable, however, was that one red-bearded Dwarf stood up suddenly as they continued to approach, and hurled his axe at Star (who he deemed – rightly – a greater threat), crying, "Begone, foul beasts!"

Celebi and I were watching the proceedings from the sidelines and we gasped as the deadly weapon flew towards our friend. But, as he had during our recent battle with Darkrai, Star proved brutally difficult to harm.

Deftly catching the Dwarf's axe in his right paw (Charizards had opposable thumbs – the lucky swine), he leapt forward. In an instant, the offending Dwarf was on the ground with his own axe at his throat, and Star was standing over him, holding it.

"Please, don't do that again," sighed Star. "I'd hate to get angry." Then he stepped back and, after helping the Dwarf up, gave him his axe back.

The Dwarves were much more negotiable after that, though no one could tell if that was out of fear or a willingness to parley. Regardless, Star and Dusknoir soon learned all they'd wanted to.

The next day was much like the previous, except that instead of dwarves, two troops of elves arrived; one, consisting of Silvan – or Wood-Elves of Mirkwood, was led by Legolas Thranduilion, their prince. The other was smaller, being only a couple elves, and it was made up of Teleri – Sea-Elves, led by Galdor of the Havens, and sent by Círdan the Shipwright, who, according to Star and Dusknoir, built the ships that the Elves used to sail away from Middle Earth. They originally reacted to us as the dwarves had, but trusted Elrond and Gandalf enough to give us the benefit of the doubt, and we soon proved our trustworthiness in their eyes. We were soon talking and laughing with them like old friends.

Legolas in particular I liked. He could be as carefree in the wind, and yet behind his eyes I saw a spirit as tough as Dialga's hide. He reminded me of myself, or at least of the new version of me that had come forth since we'd left the world of darkness. And he seemed to feel a similar kinship. When I wasn't alone with Celebi that day, I was with him, talking. I told him something about Arcea, and he told me a bit about Mirkwood. The forest sounded rather fickle to me. If you didn't know how to handle it, I was sure it was a dark and dreary place. But the Wood-Elves, it seemed, did.

He pressed me to tell him how Arcea had been turned to darkness, but when I told him Algator was preparing a song, he stopped, deciding to wait.

That evening, as we Pokemon all talked together outside under the trees, we were told by Elrond that Frodo was expected to awaken early next day.

"I think it's best if he's told about us before he sees us," Star said. "He might not react well to seeing five creatures like nothing else in this world watching him as he wakes up."

"I agree," said Elrond. "Therefore Gandalf, who will be there when he wakes, will explain what you have done first, and he will meet you when he comes outside."

"All right," said Celebi.

Elrond left then. We all turned to each other. "I hope he's all right," Star said. "I saw his state when I fought the Nazgûl. I'm sure Elrond has skill, but, all the same, I'm worried."

"Aren't we all?" Algator retorted. "He'll be fine. Elrond confirmed it."

He had. Yesterday Elrond had told us that Frodo would be fine. We'd all been relieved, but Star – then and now – was still rather dubious.

"Algator's right," I said, before Star could say any more. "Don't worry, Star. Frodo'll be fine."

"I hope you're right," said Star. Then, sighing, he stretched his wings. "I'm off to bed now. Night, all."

He went inside the building containing our rooms. The rest of us soon followed.

Later, after we'd all gone to bed, I lay under the covers, listening to Celebi's steady breathing on the bed beside mine. All the others were asleep, but I couldn't get my mind to stop wandering back to the pink grass-type to my left.

None of the others really realized exactly what my infatuation with Celebi did to me, because none of the others were in stage two. Pokemon ages worked like this: first came stage one. In Pokemon that didn't evolve this was all their stages rolled into one. They pretty much were born adults. But with Pokemon who did evolve, it was their child stage. What this meant for me right now was that they had no adolescent hormones running through their bloodstream.

Third stages, like Star, Algator, and Dusknoir, were fully fledged adults, and had, thus, essentially grown out of their adolescence. But with Pokemon that had three stages, the second stage was their adolescence – their teenaged years. And, as anyone who has ever been an adolescent can attest, the teenaged years are the worst for romance. Your hormones were constantly distracting you.

I was certain that I did love Celebi – with all my heart I was sure; I'd had three hundred years to stew over it – but that didn't change the fact that I now couldn't sleep for these ridiculous, distracting, adolescent hormones.

…I hoped, when we got home, that Luminous Spring was working again. I really needed to evolve.

Sighing, I turned over and closed my eyes. Sleep would come, I knew. It was just a matter of how long it would take.

**A/N: Mostly a filler, I know. Sorry about that. Yes, Algator will sing soon. Probably chapter after next. Next chapter Frodo wakes up! How will he react? I'm honestly not sure yet. I'll write it to find out, and then post it so you can! Review please!**


	8. Chapter 7: The Nightmare

**A/N: I know I said that Frodo would wake up now, but this got written, and I could do nothing. Just wait for next chapter.**

**Chapter VII**

**The Nightmare**

**Celebi POV**

_I was shivering. Not out of cold – cold was the last word to describe this burning tower – but out of fear._

_What was I afraid of? This was a dream._

_No, not a dream; a vision._

_I was at the top of a massive tower, which overlooked an ashen wasteland. Beside me was none other than Darkrai. I tried to leap at him, but I had no body with which to leap…_

_Before us was a massive, flaming eye – lidless and wreathed in fire – and its black slit of a pupil contemplated the Nightmare Lord._

**So, you are Darkrai,**_ murmured a deep, powerful voice, which seemed to come from the eye. _**My Orcs have given me much news of your aid in the thwarting of those scouting parties of Gondor.**

"_Your Orcs would have succeeded without my help," said Darkrai, almost modestly. "I merely tipped the balance further."_

**And indeed I thank you for doing so,** _the eye replied. _**What do you intend to do now?**

"_My enemies have followed me to this land, Lord Sauron," said Darkrai. If I'd had a mouth I would have gasped. So this was Sauron the Deceiver. And Darkrai was working with him, just as we'd feared. "I wish that we may join together; I lend my power to your enemies downfall, and you lend yours to mine."_

**I will consider,** _said the eye. _**But first, who are these enemies of yours?**

"_Among them is the Destroyer of Stars," hissed Darkrai, his eyes narrowing. "Perhaps you have heard of him?"_

**Indeed I have, **_said the eye, its pupil seeming to widen in surprise and even fear. _**Who of our kind has not? Do you mean to say that you have made a personal enemy of the First Hero?**

"_Yes," murmured Darkrai. "And he refuses to stop hunting me. But together, we can crush him. United we stand, though divided we fall."_

_The Eye of Sauron contemplated the Nightmare Lord before it. At length, it spoke. _**I cannot deny that I, and all the others like us, would be very pleased should Starbane be destroyed at last. Very well. My forces are yours.**

"_And my Nightmares are yours," laughed Darkrai coldly. "You think your Nazgûl can instigate fear? Not even you, my Lord Sauron, know terror until you have seen my brothers. And nor do you, dear Celebi."_

_He looked straight at me, his one visible eye glittering maliciously. I was helpless to resist as He reached forward toward me._

_Suddenly there was another clawed hand on my shoulder, which I suddenly seemed, once more, to have. I turned my newly apparent head, and there was Star, his blue eyes iridescent with power as he faced down Darkrai, who stepped back in shock._

"_You!" he screeched._

"_Me," Star replied flatly. "Good day to you both." And the two of us were gone._

I sat up. It was still very early morning; the sun had not yet risen. Grovyle was still fast asleep beside me, as were Algator and Dusknoir. Star, however, was sitting in a rocking chair near the door, his wings draped over the back, contemplating me over his clawed fingers, which were interlocked.

"What happened?" I asked him, rather breathlessly. "That was scary."

"A Nightmare," said Star softly. "The agents of Darkrai. They're living things, you know. Not Pokemon, not human, not animal at all. …No. Living was the wrong word. But they do think. One of them came here a few hours ago. I sensed it and drove it off, but not before it had afflicted you."

"So that vision… it was just a dream? It didn't really happen?" I asked him hopefully.

"Would it be better if it didn't?" he retorted.

"Yes," I said. "By a lot."

"Then, if it's something that may have already happened, you can be sure it did," he replied. "Darkrai is cunning. If he's done something he doesn't want us to know, he'll show it to us in a nightmare, and we'd normally think it was just a dream. No, Celebi. Whatever you saw, it did happen, so long as it can have already done so."

"It can," I whispered, and told him all about the dream.

When I finished, he nodded grimly. "I expected as much. Darkrai's joined Sauron. No surprises there. And he has his Nightmares with him. That's not good. But then, we knew that already, when one came and attacked you."

"What are the Nightmares?" I asked, still confused.

"Darkrai's elite warriors," Star explained. "There are five in all. He made them, long ago, out of the dark thoughts of all Pokemon, back in our world. They're his equivalent of Sauron's Nazgûl, and they're very dangerous."

"And one of them got all the way here?" I cried in alarm. "Is nowhere safe from them?"

"It only got here in spirit, but even that's dangerous," he said. "Nowhere can be really called 'safe', no. But your life wasn't in any real danger."

"Then why did you rescue me like that?" I asked, suspiciously. "That was really you, wasn't it?"

"Er…" Star hesitated, then sighed. "I said your _life _wasn't in danger, Celebi. There are worse fates than death, and Darkrai is adept at causing all of them. You wouldn't have died, per se; but you would have been trapped in a nearly eternal nightmare."

My eyes widened in panic. "I was almost trapped in an eternal nightmare?"

"Calm yourself, Celebi!" Star said forcefully. "Yes, you were. But that won't happen, I can promise you that. Algator has counter-spells against that. We would have been able to wake you up eventually."

"Oh, good," I said. I knew I was rapidly becoming hysterical, and that my voice was rising, but I didn't care. "_Eventually_. After a thousand years? Two?"

"Celebi?" we both turned to the new voice. Grovyle's eyes were open, and he sat up, contemplating me worriedly. "What's wrong? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I said, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "Sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep."

He blinked a few times to get the sleep out of his golden eyes, and then said, "It's almost morning anyway. I'm fine. What's going on?"

"Celebi was just recently given a nightmare by Darkrai," said Star softly.

Grovyle's eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the two of us. "What?" he cried (managing to stay quiet, unlike me). "Are you all right, Celebi?"

"I'm okay," I assured him. "Don't worry."

He gave a sigh of relief. "Thank Arceus." Then he embraced me. Over my shoulder, he asked Star, "What exactly happened?"

Star explained to him as he had to me. By the end of the explanation Grovyle was trembling ever so slightly. "I'm glad you're okay," he said to me. It seemed to have just struck him how close it had been.

I giggled lightly. "My dear Grovyle, how many times do I have to tell you; I can't be caught!"

He grimaced, and I immediately felt foolish. After all, the last time I'd said that to him in our world, it had been a matter of days before I actually was caught. "Not easily, anyway," I added.

He gave a wry grin. "No, I suppose not." He stood up and stretched. Then he said, quite spontaneously, "All this talk of doom and gloom's got me hungry! Where's breakfast?"

"Same place as it's been for the last two day, you idiot!" Star laughed. The tension was broken. "Come on, let's go eat."

And so we did.

**A/N: Yes, yes, feel free to kill me… in a review!**


	9. Chapter 8: Awakening

**A/N: Well I said Frodo would wake up this chapter, and he did! No promises broken there!**

…**not much, anyway.**

**Chapter VIII**

**Awakening**

**Dusknoir POV**

My single eye glimmered to life. Algator was shaking me awake. "Hurry up, Dusknoir!" he cried. "The others are already eating! If we don't hurry, there won't be any more raspberries!" Algator had come to love the raspberry fruit. I had no idea why. It seemed sour and grainy to me. However, if what he said was true…

…They might run out of strawberries. This I could not stand for. "All right, I'm up. Let's go. I don't particularly care about you and your raspberries, but the strawberries are mine."

Algator grinned and didn't reply. Together we headed off to the dining hall.

"Ah, Dusknoir!" called Star as we arrived, his face set in a mockery of solemnity. "My humblest apologies, but I could not resist. The strawberries now lie in eternal rest within my stomach."

My eye flared. Blind fury rushed through my ghostly body, as blood through the veins of the living. "What!" I roared, but as I began to advance, he laughed, and produced from where it had been hidden behind a large bowl of some grain dish a plate, piled high with ripe strawberries. He offered it to me with a joking flourish.

I glared at him, but said nothing as I took the platter. "Come on, sit down," said Star to me, still grinning and gesturing to the seat beside him. "Oh, Algator," he added to his partner, "I saved some raspberries for you. They're over there. He gestured across from us as I sat. To both of us, he added, "You've got to try that grain dish. It's called oatmeal, and the stuff is absolutely delicious."

We both agreed, and tucked in. When we had finished eating, Star spoke. "Okay all, you know the drill; morning recap. So, Frodo's likely to awaken in a couple hours. That mean's there'll be a feast tonight."

"Hurray!" cried Celebi, leaping into Grovyle's arms. All of us laughed at her antics except Star who glared though his thinly hidden amusement.

"Please, save it 'till after I'm done," he told her sharply.

"Fine," she giggled. "But I can't guarantee I'll listen. I'm far too comfortable." And so saying she snuggled closer into Grovyle's chest. He blushed.

Algator frowned, contemplating her with some confusion. Suddenly he blinked and turned to the place where she'd been sitting. I saw his eyes widen. "…Er, Star?" He said nervously.

I followed his gaze as Star asked, "What?" Algator seemed to be examining the glass of liquid Celebi had been drinking.

"It's that fermented berry stuff. You remember?" the Feraligatr said to his partner.

Star stared at him, open-mouthed. "That stuff?" he choked. "I forgot! Of course! It's a refined beverage here, and in most human worlds. Arceus knows why."

I looked from one to the other, ignoring the laughter beside us as Celebi began tickling Grovyle. "What fermented berry stuff? What are you talking about?"

Star explained. "When fruit or vegetable juice ferments, it develops a certain quality. 'Alcohol', I think, if memory serves. Anyway, it has a sort of debilitating effect on the mind. Celebi, it seems, has inadvertently fallen under the influence. And this," he gestured at the two Grass-Types, one of whom was now writhing on the ground, racked with uncontrollable laughter as he was mercilessly tickled, "Is the result. Come on, let's help him."

We eventually prized Celebi off Grovyle, who was now nearly strangled on his own laughter. Celebi, however, would not stop struggling, and she giggled madly all the while. Finally, Star said to Algator, "All right, the best cure is sleep. Get that done with a quick spell."

Algator nodded, held out his right hand and muttered a word I couldn't catch, but it definitely sounded foreign. Celebi fell limp in my hands, fast asleep.

I stared at the Water-Type, unable to comprehend what I'd just seen. "What was that?" I asked.

"Magic," he explained, as he picked up Grovyle, who was still in some kind of oxygen-deprived delirium. At least he was grinning like a maniac. "I picked it up at the Temple of Victory, the second time Star and I saved the world. Only got it back when we regained our memories."

"Magic?" I asked. I knew what it was, but I'd never heard of anyone but the Legendaries (and perhaps Star; who knew how he did what he did…) using it.

Algator replied to my question with an equally simple "Yes." Then he added, "Celebi will wake up in a moment. Don't worry about her headache; it has to do with the drink."

I put aside my confusion as I waited for Celebi to stir. She soon did. Her wide green eyes opened slowly – blearily – and she groaned. "My head…" she muttered. "What happened?"

"Stupid humanoid drinks happened." Star told her, from his position with Algator, trying to revive Grovyle, who was still smiling madly in his dazed stupor. "Go help her, Algator," he told his partner, "I'll handle him."

Celebi looked over at them, and saw Grovyle. "What's wrong with him?" she asked, suddenly sharp, and sitting up quickly. Then she clutched her head and groaned as the blood rushed out of her head, making the ache intensify.

Algator stepped in front of her, held out his hand once more and spoke another word in the same strange language. Celebi's head seemed to get better immediately and her eyes cleared as he replied. "You."

"What?" she demanded, flying over to the Wood Gecko Pokemon worriedly. "What do you mean? I don't remember doing anything!"

"The stuff does that," Star agreed, smirking slightly. "Under its influence, you do stuff you wouldn't believe, and afterward can barely remember."

"What stu-" Celebi began, and then froze as her memory began to rush back. "What," she asked, her voice low with either anger or embarrassment, "Was that drink?"

"One of the more intelligent ideas humans have had over the ages," Star explained with a grin. "What is the drink called?"

"The Elf said it was 'wine'," Celebi told him, her eyes narrowed.

"Okay. Avoid it in future," he told her. "The stuff sort of… takes off all your brakes. I don't really know how it works. Never drank it as a human, myself. Once did as a Charmeleon with Algator by accident."

"Don't remind me," Algator moaned.

Before they could continue their conversation, however, Grovyle began to stir. His mad grin faded, and his eyes flickered open. Yawning, he mumbled, "What happened? What's going on?"

Celebi, realizing he'd woken, threw herself on his neck. "I'm so sorry, Grovyle!" she told him. "Some weird human drink made me go insane. I'm better now. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, smiling as he held her. "Don't worry. What was the drink?"

"It's called 'wine'," I told him. "Avoid it."

"Don't worry!" he chuckled. At that moment, Aragorn came in, smiling.

"Are you all well?" he asked. When we all gave affirmation, he said, "Good! Frodo has just awoken, and he is now with the other Hobbits. Come! I will take you to him!"

We all followed the human out.

**A/N: So he woke, but they haven't met him yet. Sorry 'bout that, but I wanted to get this out.**

**Review please! It really helps me write!**


	10. Chapter 9: A Meeting of Heroes

**A/N:Okay, so first, sorry that I didn't upload this day before yesterday when I finished it. Kept on getting distracted. On another note, I finally feel appreciated once again! I have more than one reviewer! Heck, I have three! Applause is called for. Thanks to DragonBlade152, Kyogreperson, and Flying Dragonite for their reviews!**

**Now, one more thing: I mathematically worked out that this story's going to have – quite literally – more chapters than the ENTIRE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY. My chapters are shorter, and I'm going through all the same events and a few more besides. I may be able to shorten it a little, but still. Someone tell me if that's good or bad please, 'cause I am not sure. Anyway , the chapter.**

**Chapter IX**

**A Meeting of Heroes**

**Star POV**

Alongside the others, I followed Elrond. We walked up to a building and stepped onto the porch.

There were four Hobbits there – three of which were those we'd already met. The last, I guessed, was Frodo. His hair was darker than the others', and I could see in his blue eyes an intensity the others didn't possess. Very few beings did. All of my companions did, somewhat, and so did Gandalf, Aragorn, and Elrond. So had Steward Lucario, I knew, from the one time I'd met him. But Frodo had it in amounts I'd only seen in one being before.

His eyes reminded me of my own. He had the deep, penetrating gaze of a Destined Hero.

I grinned. I already knew that I liked this Hobbit.

Then he noticed us. His eyes widened slightly, but he didn't bolt or exclaim in surprise, making it clear to me that he'd already known about us. Thank Arceus. I didn't want to be at the business end of any more sharp bits of steel. It was annoying.

Elrond smiled at the Hobbit. "Allow me to introduce, Master Hobbit, the five Heroes of Arcea. This is Star." I nodded, grinning lopsidedly at him (showing my fangs slightly, of course. What good was it otherwise?) "This is Algator, his partner." Algator nodded, unsmiling, at the childlike figure, and I pounced on the opportunity.

"Come on, Algator," I complained teasingly. "Can't you grace your countenance with a smile, for once?"

"I'm sorry, Star," he retorted, his face still perfectly straight and bland, his voice deadpan, "But I didn't think your meager mind could process such a drastic break in tradition."

My jaw dropped ever so slightly, and I blinked. Grovyle grinned, and cried, "Burn! The Feraligatr doesn't even twitch!"

"Shut up, Grovyle," I told the grass type, who was now laughing raucously. Rolling my eyes, I turned to Algator. "You've gotten better, my young apprentice," I told him jokingly. "Keep it up, and you may even surpass me in satire one day!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Celebi whispering to Frodo, who was quietly chuckling. I heard her quietly say, "Don't mind them. They're always like this."

I glared at her, but wasn't able to keep my grin off my face. Algator rolled his eyes at me, and nodded at Elrond.

"Sorry about that," he said to the Elf-Lord.

Elrond smiled and merely said, "Not at all," before completing the introductions. When he'd finished Sam turned back to Frodo.

There's to be a feast later in your honor, Mr. Frodo," the gardener told his master. "Isn't that right, Master Elrond?"

"Indeed it is, young master Hobbit," said Elrond, smiling. "It will be tonight."

Frodo smiled, but asked, "Why? What have I done to warrant a feast?"

Algator, ever the scholar, snorted derisively. "Only successfully brought the One Ring through darkness and fear here to Rivendell, and survived through it. Face it, Frodo; you've already done the impossible."

Frodo contemplated him. All the other Hobbits were agreeing with my partner, but Frodo didn't seem to hear them. "You speak as though I'm obligated to do more," he said softly. "Am I?"

"Are you?" I challenged him flatly. "You're the only one who can tell us that."

Our gazes met and wrestled. I could tell he felt the same strange kinship to me as I felt for him, but he had to realize; it meant he was a Hero, and was resigned to the life of one. And that was a hard life.

Of course I already knew the answer to my question. It was one I myself had faced before. The question was, could he?

Algator reached over and put a hand on my shoulder. "Can I talk to you for a moment, Star?" he asked, quietly.

I reluctantly tore my eyes from Frodo's and followed the Feraligatr off the terrace and under the shade of the trees. There he turned to me.

"What in the name of Reshiram are you thinking?" he asked me with a tight, furious exasperation, quietly enough that only I could hear.

I blinked in surprise. "What do you mean? What did I do?"

"You almost broke his spirit, Star. If I hadn't stopped you, you would have," he told me angrily. "This is why Heroes don't get taught by one another; because fully fledged and tested Heroes like you just don't seem to realize that not everyone's as strong as they are! For the love of Cresselia! He's new! How would you like it if someone challenged you like that back when we'd only just finished the Tiny Woods?"

I stared at him, contemplating his words. He was right, of course. "Erm… sorry," I said, abashed. "I guess I got a bit carried away. Won't happen again."

"It had better not," growled the water-type. "If this world loses its Hero because of you, then I'm going to make sure you know it."

LB

**Grovyle POV**

The rest of the day was fairly tranquil. We did no more or less then peacefully enjoy ourselves. Star had befriended Frodo, and the two of them had seemed to reach an unspoken agreement to forget the strange almost-hostility that had passed between them in the morning.

All the peace came to an abrupt end at the feast, though our enjoyment skyrocketed. The food was the best yet (and by Arceus, these Elves knew how to prepare dishes!), and there was laughing and talking, and yet more laughing. Over the course of the meal I, sitting beside Frodo, joined in his conversation with one of the Dwarves, who was sitting on the Hobbit's other side. The Dwarf was dressed in rich cloths of white and silver, and was clearly very important. He'd been one of the more level-headed ones I'd seen when one of their number attacked Star.

The Dwarf introduced himself as Glóin, a name Frodo clearly knew, for he rose from his chair in surprise (in doing so, scattering the cushions that allowed him to sit at the Elves' high table) and said, after returning the formal greeting the Dwarf had offered, "Am I right in guessing that you are _the_ Glóin, one of the twelve companions of the great Thorin Oakenshield?"

I helped the dwarf gather up Frodo's cushions as he answered in the affirmative. After he'd helped the Hobbit back into his seat, I asked, "Might I be filled in? The only thing I know about Dwarves is – quite literally – that one of them attacked Star yesterday."

"Ah, yes," said Glóin, looking somewhat sheepish. "That would be my son, Gimli. Quite a hothead he is, on occasion. I assure you, the rest of do not quite agree with his sentiments, Mister…?"

"Grovyle," I told him, chuckling, "And no, I wouldn't think so, now you've seen Star grab an axe in midair and have it at the thrower's neck in all of a second!"

Frodo stared in shock at me as Glóin laughed. "Very true, I'm afraid! Fear has played a large part in our accepting the six of you for quite a fair portion of my company. Are all of your race as skilled as he?"

"Are you joking?" I said sardonically. "Of course not! He's – arguably – the greatest warrior in Arcea's history, and is certainly in the top ten! He and Algator have twice stood against our world's equivalent of your world's Sauron and won!"

Glóin paled. "I cannot believe that. No one could stand against Sauron – or anything like him – alone and emerge victorious."

"We weren't alone," said Algator across from us. We turned to him. "We had each other. And that was the deciding factor. But you'll hear more later. I've prepared a song."

"It's done?" I ask him quickly.

"Yep," he said. "I'm going to sing it after the feast."

"I look forward to hearing it," said Glóin. "Your world sounds to be an interesting one."

"More that I could tell you," chuckled the Feraligatr.

**A/N: Yes, Algator will sing next chapter. I'm already writing the poem. It may take a while, so be patient. Review please!**


	11. Chapter 10: A Song of the Past

**A/N: And now, what you've been waiting for. (Especially DragonBlade152.) It's here. Give it up for… the singing Feraligatr!**

**Applause is appreciated. Just kidding. Reviews are, though.**

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><p><strong>Chapter X<strong>

**A Song of the Past**

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><p><strong>Celebi POV<strong>

It was some time later, and I sat beside Grovyle in the Hall of Fire; a room set aside for songs and tales. These came, one after another, and we sat through them and listened.

At some point, somehow, I found myself with my head on his shoulder, and my hand in his. Not that I minded, of course, and I was soon dozing off, listening to verse after verse, with his clawed hand tenderly petting the soft fuzz on my head.

At some point though, I began to hear another verse, one which startled me out of my daze. It was Algator's voice, and he sang a song; quiet, slow, and slightly melancholy, as though mourning times long past.

_Here I stand in shining hall;  
>They ask me to remember;<br>Even now, I'm still enthrall'd;  
>That time's with me forever.<em>

_It all began in a tiny wood;  
>His tail-flame burned brightly;<br>We helped all those of whom we could;  
>Ideals gripped us tightly.<em>

_Then, one day, a prophecy;  
>From times 'twere long forgotten;<br>It seemed to me a fallacy;  
>For him no skies should darken!<em>

_We fled and crossed the burning heights;  
>And there we battled flame;<br>We fled and crossed the breadth of ice;  
>and there we battled blame.<em>

_At last we reached the frozen peak;  
>And there we met the prophet;<br>Our future, at last, was not so bleak;  
>For 'twas not we who caused it!<em>

_We turned our weary feet to home;  
>And immersed ourselves in our own pleasure;<br>Then death came from the cloudy dome;  
>The world waited on our leisure.<em>

'_The sky's the limit,' so they say;  
>But 'twas not so for we;<br>Darkness came, and we would pay;  
>'Twas at last our time to be.<em>

_A star came down upon the tower;  
>Where the dragon watched;<br>And with the help of his great power;  
>The Shadow's plan was botched.<em>

_We had done the Hero's task;  
>And evolution waited;<br>But there was no time in which to bask;  
>In the glory we'd created.<em>

_A star had fallen, this was true;  
>Undone by dragon in lofty lair;<br>It could happen again, this we knew;  
>For 'twas caused by Lord Nightmare.<em>

_We made our way across the sea;  
>To islands in the West;<br>But Darkrai cackled in morbid glee;  
>There wasn't time to rest.<em>

_Time, in fact, was what missed;  
>Death came at alarming speeds;<br>We were, just as Nightmare hissed;  
>Too late for Hero's deeds.<em>

_In Victory's Shrine he spoke to us;  
>He told us to surrender;<br>It seemed the best course for the earth;  
>But Star, he did one better.<em>

_And there I sang the Song of Time;  
>In the shrine of winning;<br>And all the world grew mute and mime;  
>As Time, she ceased her spinning.<em>

_We traveled o'er the frozen sea;  
>Until we reached a fortress;<br>And there, quite living, laughing free;  
>Was my friend's loving mistress.<em>

_Gardevoir, she aided us;  
>And oh, she was a charmer;<br>She charmed her way into their midst;  
>And brought out for us armor.<em>

_We turned to the Temple of Victory;  
>And Drarkrai, frozen, waited;<br>But then, unbidden, Time ran anew;  
>We watched with our breath baited.<em>

_Star, he faced the Lord alone;  
>Save for his armor holy;<br>But Darkrai, he could shatter bone;  
>Yet Star still stood there boldly.<em>

_The battle raged between the two;  
>Yet it was won already;<br>For Star, he fought for something true;  
>The Avenger held him steady.<em>

_The fight was done, the future to fore;  
>And love and friendship grew;<br>Star was bound to Gardevoir;  
>I stood beside him too.<em>

_But soon enough all good must end;  
>And thus, in fact, it was;<br>The Arm of Evil did extend;  
>And all we knew was loss.<em>

_Of all who were, those who escaped;  
>Their numbers, small and few;<br>From boats we watched, and yea, we gaped;  
>The end of all we knew.<em>

_The price of life though, it was high;  
>Our memories were gone;<br>My sight returned to child's eye;  
>And Star to human thought.<em>

_As I became a common child;  
>Unknowing of my past;<br>He went wanderin' in the wild;  
>'Till he was found at last.<em>

_Lucario in crystal gold;  
>Froze him for the future;<br>And when, they freed his spirit bold;  
>He became their trooper.<em>

_The world had gone cold and dark;  
>But Star and his friend Grovyle;<br>On a quest they did embark;  
>To end the shadows vile.<em>

_The key was in times long ago;  
>What was could not be changed;<br>What had been they could forego;  
>So they increased their range.<em>

_In the past, we met once more;  
>A Pokemon again;<br>We fought and grew together before;  
>The final battle began.<em>

_To us came an enemy;  
>Though know it we did not;<br>Dusknoir from the times to be;  
>And those Star had forgot.<em>

_He came a'chasin' Grovyle;  
>He said for causes good;<br>But truly his motives were vile;  
>Against us all he stood.<em>

_But Grovyle hadn't earned our trust;  
>He stole the holy gears;<br>And though his reasons were quite just;  
>He woke in us our fears.<em>

_So we helped foe, and hindered friend;  
>At last we saw him captured;<br>But then, as time began to bend;  
>Our foe became a hazard.<em>

_He took us to the future dark;  
>Where he meant to slay us;<br>But Grovyle was quick as a shark;  
>We followed with little fuss.<em>

_We fled to his friend Celebi;  
>Who watched the Door of Time;<br>But just before we could be free;  
>The Clock's great bells would chime.<em>

_Enter the Dragon, a Coronet Lord;  
>Darkened as he was;<br>A river of power, without ford;  
>Overwhelming us.<em>

_But we ran, and got away;  
>Back to times 'twere passed;<br>And soon we made a great affray;  
>As we sought the Hidden Land.<em>

_The Hidden Land, the Sealed Realm;  
>Site of the Diamond Tower;<br>We reached it soon, but at our helm;  
>We saw our foe's true power.<em>

_For there was Dusknoir, strong and tall;  
>Awaiting our arrival;<br>And now it seemed that, after all;  
>Our time had reached its final.<em>

_But lo, somehow, we beat him down;  
>But still things did look grim;<br>He looked upon them with a frown;  
>And asked them why they fought him.<em>

_As undid they their time and home;  
>So they undid themselves;<br>There would be no more Star to roam;  
>Or in secrets to delve.<em>

_But in the end, it mattered not;  
>For what was life in darkness?<br>In one last effort, Dusknoir fought;  
>And Grovyle was forced to leave us.<em>

_Onward! To Temporal Tower!  
>The fastness of the Dragon;<br>Now before him, I start to cower;  
>But Star, he would not slacken.<em>

_Together we defeated him;  
>And then returned the Gears;<br>And though the world was on a limb;  
>We had undone our fears;<em>

_But I lost all soon afterward;  
>For Star, he disappeared;<br>And in the world, his final word;  
>With them he named me 'friend'.<em>

_We now return to the other two;  
>Grovyle and Dusknoir;<br>Our cause, Grovyle said, was true;  
>And needed say no more.<em>

_The two of them traversed the dark;  
>Across the realm of evil;<br>With Celebi, they did embark;  
>To beat Dragon Primeval.<em>

_Truly, they defeated him;  
>And in the morning sun;<br>Like Star, they left the world's whim;  
>On violet rivers run.<em>

_But Star returned eventually;  
>And then we met again;<br>Once more I explored with he;  
>O'er mountain, plain and fen.<em>

_But then once more the shadows walk'd;  
>This time distorting space;<br>But I knew that we would not balk;  
>Until it knew its place.<em>

_We battled Nightmare Lord again;  
>Though we did not remember;<br>We met him in Dark Crater then;  
>We will fight forever.<em>

_At last our foe we did defeat;  
>He fled to shadowed realms;<br>And at his hastening retreat;  
>I felt quite underwhelm'd.<em>

_We donned once more our truer forms;  
>Those which you now do see;<br>And then we met the Spirit warm;  
>And Lord of all esprit.<em>

_Returning to our other friends;  
>They passed the world's veil;<br>The Dragon, now, they had to cleanse;  
>The prospect turned them pale.<em>

_We followed them across the stars;  
>Until, at last, we found them;<br>They were in a land afar;  
>It shone quite like a gem.<em>

_We helped them with the Diamond King;  
>And with the Nightmare Lord;<br>And we to here the spirits bring;  
>And Star fought at the ford.<em>

_Now at last the tale's told;  
>Now you all have heard it;<br>I hope you all now will be bold;  
>Darkrai to here did flit.<em>

There was a silence as Algator's verse wound to its close. All four of us other Pokemon had come together, and were staring at our Water-Type comrade as he looked around at the silent, watching crowd. Then he bowed his head slightly, and said, "Only that doesn't do the story justice; not even near."

Suddenly Star stepped forward and joined him. "Doesn't do it justice?" he said, and suddenly he was laughing. "For the love of Arceus, Algator! That was fantastic!" Then he turned to the crowd. "Still, I think, The tale must be told in words, so that you may all know it in its entirety. So I'll tell it."

And he did.

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><p><strong>My God. The poem alone is over a thousand words. HARD TO WRITE! But here it is. Now everyone in Rivendell knows the tale of Arcea; the victories, the defeats, the heroes, the villains, and the legends. And I wrote an epically long poem. Whether it in itself is epic, though, I'll leave up to you. Tell me in a review!<strong>


	12. Chapter 11: The Council

**A/N: Hi all. Things are starting to roll. Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter XI<strong>

**The Council**

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><p><strong>Celebi POV<strong>

My eyes opened. Blinking, I yawned. All the others were waking up beside me. I pushed myself into a sitting position just as Grovyle did the same in the next bed. The others all soon followed, and we headed for breakfast.

Elrond and one other – a Human, by the look of him – were already at our table. Elrond quickly began the introductions. The Human's name, apparently, was Boromir, and he'd arrived in Rivendell a few hours ago. He came from the city of Minas Tirith, capitol of the country of Gondor. Dusknoir took a liking to him at once.

After breakfast, the council we'd all been waiting for was called. Everyone of importance to any of the many parties in the town had come. Glóin, his son, Gimli, Elrond, Galdor of the Havens, Frodo, his 'uncle' (although it was in fact a strange relation of second and first cousin once removed either way – or something like that), Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, Boromir, and of course ourselves, as well as a few others I didn't know on sight yet.

As soon as we were all gathered in one of the many courtyards, the conversation began. There were a lot of topics discussed, but eventually we got to the important one. It was Glóin who led us to the topic, with the troubles his people were having in the 'Lonely Mountain'. It seemed that a messenger of Sauron, which Star said was clearly a Nazgûl, had come to them, asking them to get a small, trifling, golden ring ('the least of rings' was what the Nazgûl called it) from Bilbo, Frodo's uncle.

Elrond answered him by saying something about how all the races had similar troubles. "Yes, the Ring! What should be done with it, the 'least of rings', the trifle that Sauron fancies? That is the question we now face."

Here Star stood, and everyone looked at him. The expressions on the faces of the humanoids ranged from curiosity, to distrust, to outright fear in those who hadn't met him yet. "Before we get to that," Star said, "There's something I want to clarify. The Nazgûl were chasing Frodo at the Ford of Bruinen where I fought them. I think I now know why. Bilbo received this 'trifle' at some point, but he doesn't have it now, does he? I've studied the Nazgûl since our arrival as much as I could. I wanted to know why they – the greatest weapons Sauron has – were bothered by a small Hobbit. It seems that the Nazgûl are drawn to one thing, one thing that they work for: Sauron. It's said that, during your great war at the end of the Second Age, Sauron created a weapon. A weapon which contained a part of him. They say he lost it, and thus the battle, to Isildur of Arnor. I have a few guesses.

"First, I don't think that Ring is a trifle. I think I'm right in saying that it and the 'weapon' that Sauron lost are one and the same. Second, I think Isildur kept it. It clearly has some magical hold over people. He was killed by Orcs on the river Anduin. I think it fell to the bottom there. I don't know what happened then, but I can guess that eventually it fell into Bilbo's hands. He gave it to Frodo, I think, when Frodo came into his inheritance. And then the Nazgûl chased him here.

"Half of that was guessed more by my instinct than my brain, but I don't think I'm far off."

Everyone stared at Star as his little monologue wound to its close. I was amazed. _He worked out all that after only a few days of research? That's incredible! _Then Elrond spoke. "You are quite correct on all points, Destroyer. But there is a little more. First, you wonder how the Ring came from the bottom of Anduin into Bilbo's hands. That involved a creature named Gollum. He took it from the riverbed, and brought it into the heart of the Misty Mountains. Bilbo passed through them during his journey, which I am sure you will hear about sometime while you are here, and there he found it. And yes, as you have guessed, Frodo received it as part of his inheritance.

"Bring forth the Ring, Frodo." Here he turned to the Hobbit.

Frodo stood and placed a small, golden band on the pedestal in the center of the circle of chairs we were sitting in. I shuddered as I saw it. The thing positively radiated malice.

"Now, I think, the tale of the Ring must be known to all," said Elrond, and he began to tell the history surrounding the Ring.

At the end of the Second age, it seemed, Sauron had covered nearly all the world with his empire. One last resistance, a final alliance of Elves and Men, fought one final battle at his stronghold on the plains of Gorgoroth in Mordor. It was Isildur, Aragorn's ancestor, who managed to end the battle by cutting the Ring off Sauron's finger, and thus weakening him to the point where his very body dissipated. But the Human, being of that corruptible race, was unable to throw the Ring into the flaming pit – the Cracks of Doom – where it was first forged. He took the Ring, but it soon killed him by slipping off his finger when he needed it. It fell into the river Anduin for a millennium and a half, and then the creature, Gollum found it. He took it to the heart of the Misty Mountains, and there he kept it, until, one day, it slipped away, and then, out of what Elrond called 'the goodwill of the Valar' and Star called 'some really good luck', Bilbo found it. He brought it back to the Shire, and kept it for about sixty years, after which he gave it to Frodo, who then fled to here when the Nazgûl started chasing him.

"But now is not the time for the past," Elrond finished. "Now we must choose. There are a few courses laid before our feet. What should we do with this Ring, the doom of our time? The decision lies with us."

There was a moment's silence, and then Boromir stood. "I would like to speak first. All of you here, believe not that the strength of Gondor is gone; that the pride and dignity of Númenor is forgotten. We still fight. Verily, I come from Gondor – from Minas Tirith, and I say this, were it not for our blades, our spears, our blood, you would have been assaulted – yes, even as far West as you are – long ago, by the armies of Mordor."

"I don't doubt it," said Algator, sharply and suddenly. "But I don't think we intend, for that reason, to give the Ring to your country."

Boromir stared at him, and then his eyes narrowed. "I never said I wanted the Ring, though I do not deny it would be a grand asset in the war we fight for all of you here. What do you know of it in any case, beast?"

At once, every single other person in the Council stood up in anger, but Star cried out, "Easy! He wasn't here last night. He hasn't heard our tale. We don't hold it against him."

The others all sat down slowly, and Boromir looked very sheepish. "I am… sorry if I caused offence. I spoke rashly, without knowing to whom I was speaking."

"You spoke," Star said slowly and clearly, "In the tones of one who wants something. I was Human once, I know their vices. The Ring has already stretched out its hand to you. I don't blame you for it, but understand this. I intend to see to it that this Ring _never_ falls into the hands of our enemies, and that means that no Man should carry it. I know all too well that their hearts are easily corrupted."

Boromir looked slightly angry again, but behind his eyes it was clear he knew Star was right. He sat down without another word.

"On the other side," Star continued, "I don't doubt what he said. Minas Tirith is defending us all even as we speak. Now, what do we do about it? The strength of Men can hold long, but not forever, and Sauron and Darkrai grow stronger by the day. What are our choices? We can take the Ring West, to the sea, where it could be cast in, so that it might be lost, but it would resurface. We can take it to the Old Forest, where that Mr. Tom Bombadil I've heard about could keep it. What are the problems with that?"

"Tom Bombadil would not take it," said Gandalf. "Not unless all the races of Middle Earth begged him to. He has no love of such things. And even then, he would not be a safe keeper. He might well lose it, or cast it away. Such a thing will have no hold on him. And even if he did keep it well, it would not last forever. In the end, once all other things had fallen to Sauron, when the Old Forest was one last isle in a sea of evil, Bombadil would fall, last as he was first, and all the world would be dark."

"I think I've heard this before," muttered Grovyle beside me. Suddenly he stood up. "You all can't even understand what a world of darkness, without any hope for salvation, is like. It's worse than anything you can visualize. I should know – I lived in one all my life."

He sat down again, and I put my hand on his comfortingly. Before I could speak, though, Star continued. "Then it seems to me that we have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed."

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry it took so long! Now that I got the Singing Feraligatr done, I lost one of my major motivations! But now I'm back! And I hope to Arceus this doesn't happen again!**

**Review, please! The Button is right down there!**

**V**


	13. Chapter 12: Gimli is a Fool

**A/N: Fast, right? Yes, I am back. And I'm here to stay. Enjoy the chapter. Sorry about all the direct quotes, but this is my favorite dialogue set in there, so I had to keep a lot of it. Also, only ONE REVIEW? I thought we were PAST this stage, guys! I want more next time!**

**...Please?**

**Chapter XII**

**Gimli is a Fool**

**Star POV**

As I finished speaking, the expressions on the faces began to bear a specific plethora, ranging from surprised astonishment, to resignation, to satisfaction. Suddenly Gimli, the Dwarf who'd attacked me a few days prior, said, "Then what are we waiting for?"

Standing, he rushed forward, and brought his axe down, hard on the Ring. Then several things happened in such quick succession that they seemed simultaneous. First, the axe shattered as it hit the gold band, and Gimli was thrown back by the recoil. Then, Frodo suddenly winced and clutched his head, and at the exact same moment, I felt a heavy weight on my mind, and a sharp pain lanced behind my eyes. Grunting in pain, I massaged my temples with the fingers and thumb of my right hand.

I looked and saw that other Dwarves were now helping Gimli up, and then Elrond spoke. "The Ring cannot be destroyed my blade, magic, or even a furnace, Gimli, son of Gloin, that we here possess. It must be taken into Mordor, to the Mountain of Fire, and be cast into the flaming chasm from whence in came. There it was made, and there – there alone – can it be unmade." Now the Elf-Lord looked about at all of us assembled, watching him, and then he finished, "One of you must do this."

Most of the council looked at me, of course. In fact the only one who didn't was Algator, who was, in fact, chuckling slightly. I looked up, praying to Arceus to give me strength. _Why do they always think I'll solve these problems? _I looked down and glared at them all.

"None of you get it, do you?" I said softly. "A Hero can't do another's job. I can't take that Ring. If I tried, we'd fail. That's how destiny works. None of us Arceans can do this. The Ring is the doom of Middle Earth, and Middle Earth has to avert it. No one else."

"And why not?" Boromir asked sharply. "You say no man should have it, for their weaker wills, yet you, who seem to outmatch us all in that, refuse!"

I slowly turned my glare directly on him. "I'll give you a simile you can understand. None but a Lord of Númenor may sit on the Throne of Gondor. In the same way, none but the Hero whose task it is to destroy this Ring may do so. And I am not that Hero."

"Then who is it? And how shall we find him?" asked Elrond.

I rolled my eyes skyward. "Isn't it obvious? The only way to find out is to test them. The only way to test them is to decide, right now, who will take this Ring to Mordor. In the discussion, the Hero will come forward. That much, at least, is clear."

"How can you be so certain? Can you see the future?" asked Gandalf.

I chuckled. "No. I just know Heroes. It's quite plain to me what will happen. Now, back to the original discussion. I invite any who have opinions on the destruction of the Ring to step forward."

For a moment, there was silence, and then… "I say that it is folly." It was Boromir, of course. "Take the weapon into the heart of the Black Land? It will be no more than a gift to the Orcs and their fell master! I do not say that Men should take it, but to give it to the Orcs thus is far worse."

Suddenly Grovyle's new friend, Legolas, stood up angrily. "Do you not understand the Destroyer?" he cried. "The Ring _must _be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it!" said Gimli, suddenly flaring. I groaned. I could see where this was going, but I was powerless to stop it. If this was how Fate chose to reveal its instrument, then so be it.

"And if we fail, what then?" Boromir said harshly to the both of them. "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

Gimli ignored him and said something that warranted a prize for the single most unintelligent thing I'd ever heard, and thus giving the Dwarf my eternal respect. In the middle of the court full of Elves, he, ignoring Boromir, said, "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the Hands of an Elf!"

At exactly the same time, every single member of the Council stood up and started shouting, except for Gandalf, Dusknoir, Algator, Elrond, Frodo and myself. Elrond had his head supported on one hand, and was rubbing his temples. Probably had a migraine.

I distinctly heard Gimli speak again then. "Never trust an Elf!" I couldn't help myself anymore. I snorted, and then broke down laughing, Elrond looked over at me in confusion as Gandalf suddenly, unable to stop himself, joined in the melee before us.

Algator passed me, and I heard him say to the Elf-Lord, even over my hysteria and the din before us, "He's often like this. Don't worry about it." This, of course only made me laugh harder.

Suddenly I heard the voice of Frodo. "I will take it." No one listened, so he said it again, louder. "I will take it!"

Now everyone quieted. I was still sniggering – an unfortunate habit of mine; I couldn't stop laughing once I'd started. Gandalf turned to Frodo then, and said, "Very well, Frodo Baggins. And I will help you bear this burden – for as long as it is yours to bear."

Aragorn stepped up to him then, and said, "I wish it didn't have to be so, but, there it is. And if in life or death, I may protect you, I shall. My sword is yours."

"As is my bow," said Legolas, stepping forward as well.

"And my axe," Gimli said, having drawn a new one from its hold on his back.

Then Boromir came forward. I watched him closely. I liked the man, but… I could feel his will. He was strong, physically, but mentally… not so much. "If this is indeed the will of the council… then Gondor will see it done."

I was about to speak when another voice spoke. "OY!"

It was Sam. "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me!"

I snorted. "No, I don't think he is. Not even a secret council he was invited to that you weren't allowed in."

The Hobbit blushed down to the tips of his slightly pointed ears and looked down slightly. At that moment, though, his salvation arrived in the form of Merry and Pippin. "Hey! We're coming too!"

"After all," said Pippin promptly, "You're going to need people of intelligence on this mission… quest… thing."

I cocked a brow ridge. "And to whom might you be referring, Master Peregrin?"

Pippin cocked his head in confusion, but before he could reply, Merry said to him, "He's saying that that pretty much rules you out of it, Pip."

Most of us besides the unfortunate Hobbit either laughed or – at the very least – smiled. Then Elrond nodded slowly.

"Nine Walkers, matched against the Nine Riders…" he murmured.

Before he could finish something passed between myself and my teammates. I met the gaze of each one in turn, and all of them nodded once.

Nine Walkers, Nine Riders…

Five Arceans, Five Nightmares…

Fourteen on the one hand, Fourteen on the other.

I interrupted the Elf-Lord. "Make that fourteen, would you, Lord Elrond?" I walked over to the Middle Earthers and knelt down so as to be level with Frodo. "We are agreed, Frodo Baggins. You have Celebi's powers, Dusknoir's strength, Grovyle's blades, Algator's magic… and my fire and claws. But…" I shook my head. "None of that matters. We're all behind you to the end, but in the end, all that matters is you. You're the Hero, Frodo, and if you can't do this… no one can."

Our eyes met, and once more, as they had yesterday, our wills clashed. But he was ready this time. He didn't win, but…

Smiling, I blinked, and the battle was done. "I… I understand," said Frodo softly.

I didn't frown, but something in his voice made me frown.

_I alone can do this… This is my task…_

Oh yes, he understood. Far too well. I'd have to see to it that he didn't go overboard, and doom us all.

But he was ready now, and that was more than I could have hoped for. I nodded at him, and stood.

Soon, we'd leave Rivendell.

Soon, it would begin.

**A/N: I thought the title fit the chapter. Anyway, next one or two chapters, they leave Rivendell. Then we get the fun stuff. Review, please!**


	14. Chapter 13: Black Birds

**A/N: I had writers block. I started a new project (incidentally, it's an Inheritance Cycle cowrite with the acclaimed Commentaholic and the tenacious SimplySupreme – both authors of my skill or better. You guys should check it out! Get to it from my Favorite Stories list. It's called 'When the Clock Strikes Thirteen'.). I got ideas for DarkeSword's ReMixes Oneshots.**

**But I'm back.**

**Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter XIII<strong>

**Black Birds**

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><p><strong>Grovyle POV<strong>

It was now a few days later. We'd all spent some time getting to know each individual member of what was being called the 'Fellowship of Ring'. Now it was time to test our bonds.

"The Fellowship will now set out on the quest to Mount Doom," said Elrond solemnly. We were all congregated at the main gates of Rivendell, and those of the Fellowship who wore clothes were in traveling gear. We were leaving. "Those of you who go with you, no oath, nor bond is laid upon you to go further than you will. May the blessings of Elves, Men, and… Free Folk…" he was looking at Gimli when he said this. Star chuckled. "Go with you."

Frodo nodded, looking rather grim, and walked out the gate. Following him, I distinctly heard him ask, "Which way, Gandalf? Is it left or right?" to which the Wizard replied, "Left."

We headed that way.

Almost as soon as we were out of sight of Rivendell, Frodo exchanged places with Gandalf, and came further back in the line. Star seemed to find this amusing, but refrained from laughing for Frodo's sake.

We had started at dusk, after a short, December day. Celebi and I didn't much like the idea of travel in the middle of winter, especially at night, but there wasn't much to do. We needed the cover of darkness, and winter could provide much more of that than warmer seasons.

The spies of the Enemy are everywhere, Elrond had said. Even of the sky above we should be wary. The five of us from Arcea took this advice directly to heart and often watched the sky more diligently than the earth. We all knew the dangers of flying opponents and spies, having come from a world where they were almost as common as those on the ground.

It was quite a while before anything noteworthy happened. Within the first few days, Star was unofficially appointed to the position of 'head firelighter'; him not being too happy about it. That was, of course, the very reason Algator took so well to calling him by that term whenever he could (this being whenever there was water to escape into).

At first, Star and I watched the hobbits for signs of fatigue, and saw them plainly. We were walking all night, every night, without fail, and something like that was bound to take a toll on the unaccustomed. For us Arceans, of course, the many Dungeons we'd explored finally paid off; in more ways than one. Every morning, just after we'd stopped for the day, one of us (usually Star or Algator) would entertain the rest of the fellowship with tales of a place we'd explored. But the hobbits didn't have our experience, and suffered for it. They soon got used to it, and perked up.

It was when they finally had the energy to stay awake after a night of walking long enough to hear our tales that the tales got more interesting – for they took to pestering us every night to tell us of the great adventures, the stories that had got each of our names written alongside the names of Heroes. Star, of course, being admittedly rather proud of his and Algator's achievements, was first to cave. One Dungeon at a time, he told all the fellowship his story of his first experience saving the world. From Tiny Woods to Thunderwave Cave, and then Mt. Steel, and on and on…

Soon enough we reached the stories of longer Dungeons and at that point he began to split the dungeons into two or even three nights worth of storytelling. He was in fact telling of the start of his climb up Mt. Blaze when the first hurdle reached us.

His story had finished for the day, and all the others were dropping off to sleep. I was unusually awake right then, as it happened, so I kept Aragorn and Sam company as they watched. Suddenly, I saw a strange wisp on the horizon.

My golden eyes focused on it, wondering. Elrond had said to be wary of the skies…

But it was nothing. Just a flock of crows.

Or so I thought…

Aragorn noticed it just a bit after me, and he quietly hissed, "Lie flat and still."

Sam and I obeyed instantly. The birds flew overhead, passing by us, and only once they had entirely vanished did Aragorn rise. "_Crebain _out of Fangorn and Dunland," he said softly. "Spies of Saruman."

As soon as I'd heard that, I cursed myself inwardly. What had I been expecting? Giant bat-winged demons with 'I am a spy of Sauron' painted on their wings? Of course the birds were spies! All of the country we were now in (Gandalf said it was called 'Hollin') was deathly quiet and still, and suddenly a massive flock of crows appeared? Looking back on it, I saw how obviously unnatural it was. I should have seen it sooner!

"Don't blame yourself," Celebi whispered into my ear later, when I told her; her arms around my neck. "How could you have known, anyway? And it's not like any harm was done. They passed over!"

"But what if, next time –" I tried to say, but she silenced me with a soft kiss.

"You know now. We all do," she said, "There won't _be_ a next time. I know you'll make sure of that."

And I did, or tried to. Dusknoir and I went to the rear of the line from then on, along with Legolas, since the three of us had the sparpest eyes in the dark except perhaps Star, and he was fine where he was. We watched carefully during our nightly walks for any sign of _crebain_, and soon enough it paid off. It was only a couple nights laterthat we were able to to get everyone to take cover just in time before another flock appeared. Even Gandalf hadn't seen it – it was too dark. As soon as they'd passed, Celebi flung herself at me and kissed me, and then as soon as she'd done that, she proceeded to tell me 'I told you so' about a hundred times. I smiled and held her through it all – once again thanking Arceus that at last I had her.

But still, I felt a strange foreboding.

I had a feeling that, despite our efforts, somehow, they'd seen us.

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><p><strong>AN: Now that… probably wasn't worth the wait. But still, now I know where I'm going! And guys, really. For a while there, a few weeks ago, we were doing pretty good. Suddenly, though, we're back to about one review per chapter! Seriously? I'm seriously considering delaying chapter releases until I get the review count I want. (Of course, if I do that, I'll enable anonymous reviews so one person can get that chapter for all of you.)**

**My point is this. You've read. Now review, please!**


	15. Chapter 14: The Roads East

**A/N: Not the longest wait ever. See you at the bottom!**

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><p><strong>Chapter XIV<strong>

**The Roads East**

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><p><strong>Star POV<strong>

It was nearly morning, and we'd stopped for the day. Celebi and Grovyle were off together in the corner of the camp, doing whatever it was lovers did.

For a moment, I felt a twinge of what might have been envy again. Why couldn't I have Gardevoir?

I shrugged it off, sighing, and focused my attention on Aragorn and Gandalf, who seemed to be debating our next course.

"Winter deepens behind us," murmured Gandalf. "What do you think of your course now, Aragorn?"

"I think no good of any part of our road, as you know well," Aragorn replied. "Yet I think the Redhorn Gate is the least of many evils. Caradhras is colder and darker by far, and the Gap of Rohan comes far too near to Isengard."

"Yet you do not mention another way," Gandalf said softly. "A dark and secret way. We have spoken of it."

"But let us not do so again! Not until there is no other choice," Aragorn said, seeming almost afraid.

"Humor me, and speak of it once," I said, sitting beside them. They both started and turned towards me. "Come on, I think I have a right to be in on this decision."

"Very well," said Aragorn after a moment. "There are four routes across the Misty Mountains that we can reach from here. First and easiest is the Gap of Rohan, which would lead straight into the country of the Rohirrim. Second is the Redhorn Gate, which leads through a relatively low pass in the mountains. Third is the Pass of Caradhras, which leads right past one of the highest peaks in all the range. And fourth…"

Gandalf took up the explanation. "Fourth are the Mines of Moria."

I nodded. I'd done enough research to know of the Mines. They were said to be filled with Orcs and many far worse things. "You don't want to go via the Gap of Rohan because it's too close to Isengard," I said after a moment. "The Redhorn Gate is the obvious choice, so you're afraid it might be watched. The Pass of Caradhras is way too cold this time of year, we might all freeze. And I think we're all clear on the problems with Moria."

They both nodded. "Those are our fears, yes," said Gandalf.

I thought for a moment. "The Redhorn Gate is definitely watched, especially now. I have a feeling those _crebain_ earlier spotted us; And our course suggests that we're headed for the Gate. That won't do. The Gap of Rohan is far too dangerous. No question there. Same with Moria. I think the best course would be to follow the Pass of Caradhras; my powers of fire should keep us alive."

"It's true, his powers are great, and his mastery lies in fire," Aragorn told the wizard. "I think it would be wise to take the road over the mountain."

Gandalf nodded slowly. "Yes," he said. "That will be our road. Now go to sleep, you two. I will keep watch; I need a smoke anyway."

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><p><strong>Celebi POV<strong>

My eyes opened, and for a moment I wondered if they had, for it was still dark. After a moment I realized that this was because I was inside what seemed to be a cocoon of leaves. For a second longer, I still didn't realize how I'd gotten there. Then I inhaled.

I relaxed; the leaves smelled irresistibly of bay. Of Grovyle. I was lying with my head against his stomach, and his fans (now larger) had spread over me like a tent. Indeed, I could now feel my 'pillow' moving with his steady breathing.

I sat up, unable to keep a smile off my face. I shifted aside a few leaves, and saw that Grovyle (and therefore, I) was curled up by a tree a little way from the main camp. It was just getting dark, and the others were all starting to wake up.

I fought my way out of the bush that was his embrace and came up to his face. His eyes were closed and he was smiling slightly. He looked so peaceful I could hardly bear to wake him up.

_Ah, well. _I kissed him on the cheek. "Grovyle," I whispered, my mouth right by his ear. "Time to wake up."

His golden eyes blinked open and met mine blearily. "Celebi…" he muttered, "Five more minutes…"

"Oh, no you don't," I giggled. I grasped the long leaf which dangled from the top of his head to prevent him from letting his head fall, and shuddered slightly as this caused it to release a strong scent of eucalyptus.

He saw it and grinned when he realized its cause. He sat up. "You like it?" he asked, his voice soft and teasing as the leaf came around his head and tickled my cheek. The intoxicating scent made my head spin, and for a moment I didn't know what was happening, and I was barely able to stop myself from pouncing on the Wood Gecko Pokemon in front of me.

"Grovyle…" I muttered, gritting my teeth, fighting for control of myself. "Stop it... please…"

He chuckled, and a moment later (one more moment of unbearable teasing) the leaf was removed from my face. Grovyle stood up and stretched. "I'm up now, anyway," he said. "We'll get back to this later." And he headed off towards the rest of the group, eliminating any need for me to figure out why I was not at all displeased at the thought of continuing.

_Why did I have to fall in love? _I asked myself. My answer was to shrug and follow Grovyle back to our companions.

When we reached them, They were all just finishing getting ready to leave. Gandalf spoke up just as the two of us arrived. "We, that is Starbane, Aragorn, and I, believe that the Redhorn Gate is likely being watched. Therefore, we have chosen a new road. We must take the pass of Caradhras."

Grovyle and I looked at each other. _Caradhras? _he mouthed. I shook my head.

Algator sidled up to us and muttered the succinct explanation, "Big ice mountain."

My heart sank. A big ice mountain? One of those was enough!

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><p><strong>AN: Here I am again! I thought the GrovylexCelebi fluff here was one of my better examples of same. What do you think? How about you tell me… IN A REVIEW!**


	16. Chapter 15: The Path Up Caradhras

**A/N: Oh, crap. Kill me if you want, all of you. I just STOPPED. I just didn't write. I'm so freaking sorry! I'll try never to do it again! …I will though. Therefore, I'm not making promises I can't keep. I have, though, doubled my chapter length. Now the minimum is two-thousand words each. I hope that at least mitigates the damage a bit. Now enjoy, please, and thanks to all of you for being so patient.**

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><p><strong>Chapter XV<strong>

**The Path up Caradhras**

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><p><strong>Algator POV<strong>

It was a few days later, and we were at the foot of Caradhras.

…Not, of course, that it wasn't already frigid. It was cold as the fifth pass of Sky Peak already. I didn't like to think about the summit. I could manage it, of course – I'd gone through Zero Island – but I didn't want to have to. And I was very worried about the Hobbits.

I was just behind Star, who had Grovyle and Celebi clustered near him in protection from the cold (poor them; the Grass Type was not one I envied right now) and Gandalf was leading the group. I jogged ahead, and fell into stride beside the wizard.

"We're not going all the way to the summit, are we?" I asked him worriedly.

"No, no!" he cried in reply. "Good heavens, no. That would be cold beyond belief. No, we will merely follow the pass, which climbs up to there." He pointed out a ledge, high above, where the mountain split into two peaks, one lower than the other. "After that we will begin our descent."

"Assuming we make it that far," said Dusknoir, catching up to us, and I noticed his one eye was whizzing around as though looking for something. "I don't like this, Algator," he said quietly to me. I looked over at him, my brows furrowed in curiosity.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

He shook his head slowly, saying, "I'm not sure. I feel… a presence. It's as though it's emanating from the mountain itself. And it by no means feels friendly."

I blinked. "That doesn't sound good. And it reminds me too much of a legendary or habitat spirit like Ninetales for my comfort."

Gandalf looked between us, his eyes flashing under his bushy eyebrows. "Should I be worried?" he asked quietly.

I looked at him silently for a moment, and then said, "Maybe." Turning to Dusknoir then, I announced, "I'm going to talk to Star. Let's see what he says."

I walked back to where Star was standing in the rear of the group, looking out over the great basin of the West. He turned to face me as I approached.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Dusknoir says he's feeling the presence of some kind of spirit coming from that mountain," I told him quietly so Sam, who was nearby, wouldn't hear and get himself worked up. "Can you?"

Star snorted. "I'm a Hero, not a sorcerer. And I'm not Ghost-type either. Why the heck should I know?"

I looked at him, then rolled my eyes. "Sorry. The others are rubbing off on me."

I knew better than this. Most people seemed to regard Star as invulnerable, and supremely skilled in all aspects, but I (ought to) know him better than that. He was a Hero, nothing more or less. He had only minimal ability in magic, a sort of spur-of-the-moment kind of tactical genius that appeared in battle, bullheaded determination, wisdom (but that was borne of experience alone), and that was all. He couldn't do anything beyond what that allowed – for instance, sensing the presence of a spirit of nature in a mountain we were about to climb.

"It's fine," he told me. "And anyway, we'll be okay. Worst-case scenario, we have to go back and take another path. We're allowed to do that, you know. This isn't a prestige trip or something."

"Thank Arceus," I muttered, thinking of Zero Isle.

Star grinned – of course he knew what I was thinking. "Don't worry, we'll take down Zero Isle as soon as we get back home. All five segments."

It only took me a moment to realize that he was joking, but in that moment, I'd let out a short scream that everyone nearby winced at.

"Silence!" said Gandalf furiously. "Do you _want_ every Orc this side of Mordor to know where we are?"

"Sorry," I muttered. "It's Star's fault."

"It actually is," said my partner happily. "_So _worth it. Still, it won't happen again."

"It's snowing," Grovyle said suddenly.

All of us quickly looked up and saw that he was right. A few flakes of icy white were drifting down onto us from the sky. "This does not bode well," murmured Gandalf. "It never snows this low on Caradhras this early in the year."

I met Dusknoir's eyes for a moment. This _was _bad.

Then Star spoke. "It's going to be cold, then," he said. "All right. Aragorn, Boromir, Algator, and Dusknoir, you four and I will strap some wood on our backs from the trees over there," here he gestured towards a grove of firs that grew a short walk down the hill, "And when we get too cold, we'll be able to have a fire."

"No!" cried Gandalf. "Fire is a good defense against the Black Riders and other foul beasts, but to a spy or scout it is as a beacon! We cannot light a fire upon the mountain!"

"We'll need it," I said, coming to stand by Star. "It's going to get _too cold _up there, Gandalf. Celebi and Grovyle," I pointed at them – they did look worried, "are Grass-Types. That means they are not good with ice and cold. They'll die if we don't have some kind of warmth."

Looking over at the two again, I saw that Grovyle was actually nodding in grudging agreement. I felt a pang of cold fear – Grovyle didn't often acknowledge his weakness. He only had done so once in all the time I'd known him – and that was really a hopeless situation; it was when we'd faced Primal Dialga in the Dusk Forest by the Passage of Time. Now he was doing it again – my assessment must have been a lot more correct than I'd believed.

After a moment of thought Gandalf agreed. "Very well, go and fetch wood. But we must not have fire – not until we stand at the choice between fire and death!"

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><p><strong>Grovyle POV<strong>

After the five impromptu woodsmen got back with sticks and logs, we began to climb. As we got higher, the snow only thickened. Visibility was minimal, Celebi and I were both stuck right next to Star so we didn't freeze, and everyone was miserable.

"This isn't natural," muttered Dusknoir, who was hovering along beside Star, Celebi, and me. "This snow doesn't feel right, somehow."

"Indeed," said Gandalf, just ahead of us. "Something has set itself against our passage over the mountain. It may be the Dark Lord himself."

"His arm has grown long indeed, if he can call down snow on Caradhras to trouble us," muttered Gimli behind me.

"His arm has grown long," Gandalf answered.

"But maybe not that long," Dusknoir muttered. "I don't think this is Sauron."

"D-D-Darkrai?" Celebi asked him through chattering teeth. I held her closer in my arms.

"No," said Star softly. "It's a habitat spirit of some kind, isn't it, Dusknoir?"

"I think so," he said softly. He sounded worried. "But it's a powerful one – I might match it to Ninetales itself. And it doesn't like us."

We continued in silence for a while, Celebi in my arms, the both of us huddled under Star's wing. It was still cold, but we weren't going to freeze to death anytime soon. To us, as grass-types, this was unbearable. I was a bit more used to it than Celebi – I'd had to go through the worst conditions over the course of my journeying – and even I was suffering. For her, it must have been agonizing.

After we'd been walking for what felt like hours, the snow getting so thick around us that even Legolas and Algator, who had the sharpest eyes of us all, could barely see a thing, Boromir broke the quiet.

"Enough of this," he said loudly. "We are more than likely to set our feet over a cliff if we continue on in this manner. We must stop and wait for the snow to blow over."

"It shall be too cold," said Aragorn. "The Hobbits, as well as Grovyle and Lady Celebi will be sure to freeze! We cannot stop – at least not without fire."

"That won't be a problem," said Star, but Gandalf interrupted.

"We shall stop, for now," he said. "But do not light a fire just yet. Not until there is no other choice."

Star glared at him and I had a front-seat view of how his eyes seemed to glow like fire within in his rage. If my brain hadn't felt so slow and heavy with the cold, I expect I'd have been frightened. "You fool, Gandalf! You don't seem to understand our position. Celebi is very nearly at death's door, and Grovyle will soon follow. I mean this literally; if we stop for five minutes without a fire, then unless Celebi is actually in my arms and being heated by my body's natural internal furnace, then she will be dead by the end of those five minutes. Our companion – and my _friend _– is five minutes away from dying of hypothermia, and you won't allow us to save her with fire because of your ridiculous paranoia?"

I gasped and looked down at the Legendary in my arms. She was unconscious, as she had been for over half an hour, deathly pale, her breathing was shallow, and she was shivering. What really worried me, was that the shivering had almost stopped. Star was right; Celebi was actually dying of hypothermia. I held back tears as best I could, knowing they'd freeze on my face and make everything worse, and was for the most part successful. Still, a couple salty droplets slipped from my eyes and left tiny frozen spheres on my cheeks. _Celebi…_

Star was still raging at a stunned Gandalf. "If anyone is up here, then they're almost certainly having as hard a time seeing us as we are them, and a fire will do little to change that! And if, by some chance out of Arceus they can see through this blizzard, then they can see us, with or without a fire! And anyway –"

"Enough!" said Gandalf, just loudly enough to be heard over Star's voice. "I was unaware as to how severe the situation was." His was openly filled with something like self-loathing for what he'd almost done. "By all means, light a fire. I will even help, if I can."

"What do you mean, you'll _even_ –" Star began incredulously, _furiously_,but cut himself off and sighed angrily. "_Thank you very kindly_, Gandalf, for your _generous _offer, but your assistance won't be necessary." In one fluid movement, the Charizard swung the wood he was carrying over his shoulder and set it down. Then, swinging his tail about, he lit the timber ablaze as quick as a wink. "We'll add logs as they become necessary," he said flatly. "Get as close as you can, everyone. If all goes according to plan, we'll start again when the snow blows over, _if that's agreeable to all present_." These last few words had a razor's edge and were directed at Gandalf. The old wizard said nothing in answer and merely sat, head bowed so that his hat covered his face entirely, close to the fire. Star watched him for a few moments, then swore something in some old dialect of Northern Arcean and walked away from the fire. All the Middle-Earthlings other than Gandalf watched in amazement as, without another word, the dragon spread his wings and flew off into the storm.

"Will he be all right?" Boromir asked Algator after a moment.

"Yes," said the Feraligatr, unruffled by anything but the cold. "He's Star. There's a tribe of Unown somewhere that call him the Furnace of the Gods. It'd take a lot more than this to get him cold." Now the Feraligatr turned to Gandalf. "You know, Gandalf, I fell this is the best time to tell you something. All of you, as a matter of fact."

Gandalf didn't look up, but Algator continued anyway, especially as he had everyone else's clear attention. "Star gets angry really easily," he said, "Or at least he seems to. To be honest, I've only ever seen him really furious once before, and I never want to see it again. But he gets like this more often than is good for him or anyone else. He flares up like that, you see. Just give him about half an hour to himself to sort out his thoughts – or as I call it, sulk – and he'll realize what he's said and come back, all apologies."

"I fear it may not be so simple," said Gandalf quietly, and there might have been the barest hint of a quiver in his voice, but it was so faint I was almost certain it was my imagination. "I have just nearly killed one of his friends and fellow Arceans –"

"And he knows just as well as we all do that you had no intention of doing any such thing," I said softly, not even looking up from the pink Pokemon in my arms. Color seemed to be returning to her lovely face as quickly as could be hoped.

There was silence for a moment, and then Gandalf began softly, "Sir Grovyle, I must apolo-"

"No, you must listen," I said firmly, looking up and meeting his eyes. They were bright blue and glittered slightly under his bushy eyebrows, but whether that was normal or if perhaps there might be unshed tears within the orbs I couldn't tell. "Star and I are both firm believers in the idea that intention is an important factor in judgment. You didn't mean to. Neither of us will hold it against you. Now forget about it."

And then there was silence again, as the snow fell in heaps all around us, the fire crackling merrily in the middle of our small, huddled circle, melting the snow which flowed away down the hill.

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><p><strong>AN: That wasn't worth the wait, I know, but I'll try to work more from now on. Now really, reviews help with that, so if, like me, you don't want this to ever happen again, please review!**


	17. Chapter 16: The Nightmare of Fire

**A/N: It's been a while. Sorry. I just started reading and watching Lord of the Rings again, though, so updates'll be a bit more forthcoming, I hope.**

**Anyway, here it is.**

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><p><strong>Chapter XVI<strong>

**The Nightmare of Fire**

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><p><strong>Celebi POV<strong>

A roar of pain and fury was what roused me from the warm, pink haze I'd been drifting in. As my eyes opened, I at once realized two things. First, there was a fire beside me – they must have lit it to prevent my dying from hypothermia. And second, I was in Grovyle's arms.

Before I could do any more than snuggle deeper into his embrace, though, the roar sounded again, causing me to freeze. After a moment, Grovyle's chest vibrated slightly as he spoke. "That was Star," he whispered. "What's happening?"

"I don't know," muttered Algator. "And Arceus above, we don't have a flying type to find out."

"I can fly," I murmured sleepily, sitting up in the cradle of Grovyle's arms and rubbing my eyes.

"No," said Dusknoir flatly. "You're barely alive. You're not going anywhere for a little while."

"I'm with Dusknoir on this," murmured Grovyle, leaning down and kissing my forehead. Too tired to be flustered, I merely blushed and nodded, warmth seeping through my veins.

"There seems to be nothing we can do but to wait," said Gandalf.

Another roar rang out, and we waited.

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><p><strong>Star POV<strong>

_Why does this stuff always happen to me? _I wondered. _Can't I catch a break?_

After Gandalf and I had had our little squabble and I'd flown off to – borrowing Algator's word – sulk for a while, I'd eventually decided a couple things. First, as Gandalf had had no idea about the dangers of hypothermia to Celebi, it wasn't his fault she'd almost died. Second, if I took the first realization into account, it was my fault Celebi had nearly died because I hadn't explained the problems of the type match-up before we'd set foot on a massive snow-covered mountain.

So I'd been headed back to apologize when (wouldn't you know it?) I was attacked by someone I knew all too well.

"Ouch," I muttered after the initial roars had stopped forcing their way through my throat. "That really hurt."

_Good, _hissed the Nightmare, its flaming body illuminating the fog and snow around us. _It wouldn't be much of an attack if it didn't. How have you been, Star?_

"I've seen better days, Fikhse," I said, my eyes narrowing. "But I could beat you down with one eye and half an arm."

_As always, your arrogance asserts itself,_ hissed Fikhse, the Nightmare of Fire. _It will be your downfall. _And he charged.

This time, though, I was ready for it. With a flap of my wings, I swung to the right. As it shot past me, I hit it hard with a Dragon Claw. Fikhse screamed, a horrible, nail-on-a-chalkboard type of sound, as the energy-charged blades burned rather than cut their way through its flaming form. Flying past me out of range, it turned in fury.

_Curse you, Starbane, _it screeched. _I will end you!_

An orb of fire coalesced before it and was launched at me. It met my Flamethrower halfway, and both dispersed. "You can't beat me, old friend," I told the creature that had once been a Pokemon. "I'm more powerful than you can ever imagine."

_Again, you overestimate yourself! _Fikhse cried in fury. _You may be the one they call Starbane, sealer of the Doors of Death. You may be the one called Darkward, who is a shield against evil to the world of Arcea. But you can __**never kill me**__!_

This time it struck with the Dark-type rather than fire. It raised its arms above its head and an orb of black energy formed between its palms. _Dark Void! _the demon that had once been my friend screamed. The one orb shattered and fifty smaller spheres launched at me from where it had been.

I'd been on the receiving end of Dark Void before though, and I knew it had to be dodged. So I did. Tucking in my wings, I dove, straight down, under the hail of energy. Then raising myself to point at Fikhse I flapped my wings once and launched myself at it. _Double-Edge!_ I thought as the tell-tale golden energy flowed around me.

It flew back as I struck it with my energy infused charge and so did I, grunting in pain at the recoil. But at least it hurt Fikhse a lot more than it hurt me. It hissed in pain and I looked at it. It was done with this battle; that was obvious.

_Curse you, Starbane, _it whispered. _I will see you die; I swear it._ And then the fire put itself out and my former friend was gone.

I looked at the spot where it had vanished for a time before continuing on my way back to the rest of the company.

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><p><strong>Algator POV<strong>

Star got back to us after a while. The only explanation he gave to the others was that he'd been attacked by one of the Nightmares, and that this really wasn't surprising. But he pulled me aside and told me a little more about what had happened.

"It was Fikhse," he said flatly as soon as we were out of earshot with nothing but snow around us.

I stared. "You're kidding."

"Nope," my partner told me. "Fikhse came after me. I beat him, but Darkrai actually sent him after us. This early. Why?"

"Well that's easy," I said with a grimace. "To rub our faces in the fact that Fikhse's _his_." I said a few more words after this, but they were in an old Northern dialect of Arcean, and were also, sadly, unprintable.

"You may be right," said Star. "But I'm worried he might have another motive. It's not like Darkrai to be so blatantly emotional. He doesn't understand the heart enough to fight with it."

"Whatever you think, Star," I said. "You get him. I don't."

"You're the lucky one," said the Charizard, shuddering. "You remember how Gardevoir once said his mind was 'cold'? That's really the best word for it. There's no warmth in him – no light. It's all darkness behind those eyes."

I nodded in silent agreement. Together, then, we headed back to the company – or at least we started in that direction. Star stopped me after only a couple paces, though.

"Algator," he began, and then stopped.

"What is it?" I asked after a moment, confused.

"I… don't know how to say this," he confessed. "But, well… you know it's still me, don't you? I haven't changed. I know more now than I did before Arceus gave me my memories back, but it changes nothing. I'm still the same. I haven't become some aloof legend just because I know this stuff now. You do _know _that, don't you?"

I stared at him in surprise, and suddenly something clicked in my mind. Since we'd began this expedition between the worlds and even before, Star had been revered by everyone, even his old fried Grovyle, as a hero to be honored and to aspire to. Even I had, on occasion, unwittingly slipped into treating him like that. He'd always been my team leader, and I knew he was a more powerful Pokemon than I was in almost every respect.

But before all of that, he was my friend. And I had almost forgotten that that was my priority.

"I know, Star," I said quietly, embracing him. "I know."

We stood there together in silence for a moment, and then he said, "I'm glad you're with me, Algator."

I didn't answer, because there was no need.

* * *

><p><strong>Grovyle POV<strong>

Algator and Star returned to us soon enough. Still, though, the last log had just been thrown on the fire, and I was getting worried. If the snow didn't let up before the fire went out, Celebi would be in more danger than before. She was sleeping again, curled up close to the flames – but not too close, because she was, after all, a Grass-type.

As the two others rejoined us, we sat for a little while in silence. Then Aragorn spoke. "The night is getting old," he said. "Dawn is near now."

"If any dawn can pierce these clouds," Gimli muttered in frustration.

"I think it will," said Dusknoir suddenly. "There is a slackening about us. Look, the snow is already starting to thin."

I looked out of the circle of light our fire made, but at first I couldn't see anything like a slowing in the falling ice all around us. Then, as if suddenly, the snow was less and each flake was bigger.

It was only a little after this that Celebi awoke with a start. "Sunlight," she murmured as all of us looked at her.

I nodded. I could feel it too. The gray dawn was just beginning, and with it the chlorophyll in our grass-type cells was waking up and starting to do its job. I could feel the beginnings of the energy I usually enjoyed all day long starting to course through my body.

Soon enough the snow stopped fully, and the sunlight finally made it to the point where it could really be called morning. I stood up, stretched. "Well," I said looking around. "It's morning, and the snow's stopped. It's still colder than I'd like, and there's the promise of a blizzard in those clouds above us. What now?"

"The mountain doesn't like us," said Dusknoir. "And you know as well as I do that it's not a good idea to antagonize a nature spirit. We should head down, as quickly as we can."

All of us agreed to that, but that didn't answer the problem of how. The snow had piled up behind us in massive drifts, and the path we'd followed on the way up was lost in the whiteness. It wouldn't be easy to get through.

"Maybe Starbane could use his flame to force us a path?" Aragorn asked.

"And maybe men can walk up walls," answered Star. "But wait! That's I sight I've seen before, so you'll have your flame."

He turned towards the snow before us and breathed deep for a moment. Then in a sudden torrent of fire, he released a Flamethrower. It burned through about fifteen feet's pathway of snow.

But then there was a sound, like a groaning of trees in a gale, coming from the cliff face beside us. A crashing roar sounded from above. We all looked up to see a miniature avalanche coming down straight towards Star – miniature in breadth but not in amount of snow, for it was tall and looked like it'd be plenty enough snow to more than replace what Star had burned away.

With a flap of his great red wings Star leapt back towards us just in time. An instant later the snow landed and buried the place where he had been standing in over ten feet of snow – more than enough to cover him up to the head.

All of us looked in silent amazement for a moment, before Algator murmured, "You know, I don't think the mountain likes you and your fire, Star."

"I'm not arguing," mumbled the dragon. "Everyone, I'm sorry, but no fire."

"No fire," Boromir agreed. "But look! Just a furlong off, there is that stone about which we turned last night. It was then that the snow first began to trouble us. Maybe beyond that mark, the going would be easier.

"Starbane's power is new to this land, and Caradhras does not like that which it does not know," said Legolas. "Can Gandalf burn us a way where Star could not?"

"Can elves fly over mountains to find the sun?" Gandalf replied caustically, reminding me suddenly of Jayfeather the cat we'd met at the lake on our last adventure. "She might be able to help us. But I need fuel to light – I cannot burn snow."

"Enough!" said Boromir. "When heads are at a loss bodies must serve, as we say in my land. Come! The strongest of us must force a path through the snow."

"I agree," said Algator. "Star can't – he might douse his tail-flame – but I'll help with this."

"So will I," put in Dusknoir

"Then let us make a road, us four," said Aragorn, and the four of them set to work, using their brute strength to push the snow aside.

"Very well then!" laughed Legolas suddenly, leaping up onto the drift, and reaching the top with a few bounds. He had been watching the proceedings with an amused smile on his face and a glint in his eye, as of a trickster with a new joke. "The strongest must force a way, you say? Well, to that I reply: Let a ploughman plough, but choose an otter for swimming, and for running light over grass and leaf or over snow – and Elf!"

I laughed then, understanding. What he really meant, of course, was that he was going to scout out and see if he could help the men by showing them the easiest paths. "An Elf, you say?" I called to him and I jumped up to his post at the peak of the mound of icy flakes. "Well I reply, when you have among you a Pokemon that was born to climb and clamber, then you may leave the elves with their light and tiny feet to their daintiness, and let those of us with skill do the work!"

He laughed and so did I. "I see your way," he said. "We will race." Then he turned back to the others. "Farewell!" he cried. "We go to find the sun!"

And off we went, leaping and running like rabbits over the snow.

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><p><strong>AN: I know that wasn't worth the wait. The wait was too long. But I hope you still enjoyed it.**

**Please review! I'll update faster if I know you're reading!**


	18. Chapter 17: Out of the Frying Pan

******A/N: I am so sorry about the wait! Stress has played hell with my urge to write! But the good news is that I think I'm coming out of it: So, here you are! Chapter seventeen, over thirty-three hundred words of story!**

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><p><strong>Chapter XVII<strong>

**Out of the Frying Pan…**

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><p><strong>Dusknoir POV<strong>

_Push. Push. Push._

This was impossible. The four of us – Aragorn, Boromir, Algator, and myself – were currently trying to force our way through the impenetrable mounds of snow that barred our escape from the mountainside. Just a moment ago, I'd seen Grovyle and Legolas passing overhead, bounding over the snow that towered above even Algator's head, though he stood at above seven and a half feet. Show-offs.

_Push. Push. Push._

We pressed on. It took hours – literally. And then, suddenly, there was a mountain of snow like none we'd seen before in front of us. It towered at a height above fifteen feet and looked more menacing than snow had any right to look.

In the back of my mind I heard the soft, ethereal laughter of the Spirit of Caradhras. It was definitely there, of that I was sure – its amusement at our plight had been a constant companion throughout the time we'd been forcing our path.

_Curse you, _I thought, and I knew it heard me for its laughter redoubled.

"Well," said Algator. "This is what we call a nuisance."

I rolled my one eye and laughed mirthlessly. "You call this a nuisance? All the problem is that there's an impenetrable barrier in front of us. That's just a minor glitch in the plan, easily remedied."

"All right," Algator relented. "So it's more than a nuisance."

"Undeniably," I said flatly.

"And what will come of us now?" asked Boromir of no one in particular. "We will freeze in the night or sooner, or be buried under the snow!"

"Do not lose hope!" cried a voice from above us. Suddenly Legolas and Grovyle were over our heads perched on the summit of the massive snowdrift. It was Legolas who'd spoken. "For though we do not bring the sun, as we were bade," the Elf continued, "We do bring good tidings to those who crawl below! For though a ram will not break a mountain, it may yet bring down a citadel's gates or its walls!

"What our word-twisting companion means," said Grovyle, grinning. "Is that you'll find if you try to press through this drift that even at its base it's barely five feet wide – and after that everything's almost clear. This is the last hurdle, and it looks like a higher one than it is."

"Well, those are good tidings indeed, though I must object at their delivery," said Boromir. "Crawl? The day any Man, Elf, Dwarf, Hobbit, or even Arcean seen Boromir of Gondor crawl is the day that their eyes are blinded! Do not mock us, Master Elf! We are attempting to do the work that you yourself are too delicate to perform!"

"Ah, so that is how it is to be!" laughed Legolas. "Very well then, Master Gondorian! I shall not mock you. Rather, I shall let you do it for yourself as children ever do!"

"Come down here and I will show you a child, you prideful Elf!" shouted the Man.

"Mayhap I am prideful," said Legolas, "But you are more prideful still, and far younger! But forgive me my jesting, Sir Boromir. I meant neither offense nor harm. But if Elves did not have their laughter, imagine how dull would be the long ages!"

"I cannot imagine," said Boromir. "But since you apologize so well, I will forgive you."

"And now get out of here, both of you!" said Algator. "If you've got nothing more to say, stop saying it and let us get on with our work!"

"Very well then!" said Legolas. "We will watch you at your laboring!"

"If you so enjoy our struggle, perhaps you would care to join us!" laughed Aragorn.

"Enough," growled Algator.

I nodded. "Standing around talking won't get anything done, though," I said. "Come on! This is it."

We all threw ourselves into the labor with renewed vigor. The wall – and it was like a wall, just as they'd said; no thicker than two meters in width – didn't collapse on us as we dug, as I'd expected. Instead, we wound up with a tunnel which was Algator's considerable height at its center.

"A job well done indeed, oh strong masters!" said Legolas as I – the first – burst through on the other side. "Farewell, then! We will tell the others of your great skill!" And off they went without another word.

"Show-offs," muttered Algator, phrasing my earlier thoughts exactly.

Aragorn smiled, but only said, "The path is made. Let us go."

We did. As we returned Legolas had just told the others about the unnatural snow-wall we'd faced.

"Ah, it is as I said," Gimli growled. "It was no ordinary storm. It is the ill will of Caradhras. He does not love Elves or Dwarves, and that drift was laid to cut off our escape."

"If there's anyone he doesn't like," Star laughed, "It's me. Ice has ever reviled and feared the flame."

"But he forgot that ice can no more hold back a flood than it can an inferno," said Algator. "Nor can snow hold back the strong. He forgot that while he has all the ice in the world – or at least on the mountain – we have the strength to push it aside. That is what we've done. The path is made."

"But how will we get down there?" Pippin asked. "The snow is far too high for us!"

"We'll carry you," said Algator, smiling down at the Hobbit. Picking the small humanoid up, the Feraligatr swung him up onto his shoulders, setting him between the spines with a practiced ease that showed that this wasn't the first time his back had been used as an impromptu transport.

I followed suit, gently placing Merry on my shoulders. Aragorn took Sam and Boromir took Frodo.

Algator led us out. I followed, with Aragorn behind me and Aragorn to his rear. Behind them came Gandalf, and then Legolas. After that was Gimli, and then Star with Grovyle and Celebi beneath his wings, carefully holding his tail aloft so that it wasn't extinguished. Within a quarter of an hour, all fourteen of us had passed the wall and were beginning our slow march back down the mountain.

Caradhras had beaten us.

As if to add insult to injury, as we marched, Grovyle called out, "The birds! The _crebain _are back!"

So they were, I saw, looking down into the valleys below us.

"There's nothing we can do about them," said Star. "We can't stop. We must be off of Caradhras by nightfall, or none of us will see another dawn."

I looked back at him. He didn't look frightened, exactly, but his bravado was definitely being tested. My fists clenched in sudden terror. I had always admired Star – first as an enemy and now as a friend – for his seemingly unquenchable courage; no, not courage, but fearlessness. I had never once seen him really afraid. Even that time I had been there as he, Algator, Celebi, and Grovyle faced down Dialga, he had seemed more calculating and less afraid; the very image of a tactician faced with stacked – but not unconquerable – odds. And suddenly I wondered – had the four of them been forced to actually meet Dialga in battle – if they might not actually have won. But there was no doubt that if he was worried now, we needed to get off this mountain.

So on we marched, right through the _crebain_'s watch, down off of the mountain.

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><p><strong>Star POV<strong>

We stopped for the night just as evening was getting on to night. The Hobbits looked dead on their feet, and Celebi looked as though her wing would give out at any moment. Grovyle had offered to carry her, but I hadn't let him. He was just as exhausted as the rest of us, and I knew we'd be stopping soon.

We'd left the mountainside about half an hour ago, and had been walking south by the mountains since, making our way around the foothills. I think the only people among who still felt fresh and able to easily continue marching were myself and Algator. The long march, lack of sleep, and all the excitement, had fatigued even the hardiest of the others, but Algator and I had, after all, been exploring for over a millennium and had traversed much harder terrain for days on end without rest or even food beyond the occasional Apple, Gummi, or even Seed when we were really desperate.

I was glad to be away from Caradhras, though. The climb wasn't too hard, but the mountain itself worried more than I'd care to admit to anyone but Algator, who I couldn't lie to. The place felt like ice itself, cold, powerful, unyielding, and also unimaginably angry, raging against some ancient injustice. I wondered what had been done to it to make it hate everything that walked and talked.

And it hated me in particular. The reason was obvious, of course. I was its exact opposite: It was ice and I was fire. It hated Men, Elves, Dwarves, and all other such creatures while it was my duty and privilege to protect them. It was anchored to the ground while I was free to fly in the air and to walk.

To use Zekrom and Reshiram's never-ending analogy, it was of Truth while I was of Ideals.

I wouldn't have batted an eye at its hatred, except that I was terrified of it. The mountain, I knew, could crush even me before I'd had a chance to blink if I really provoked it. Thank Arceus I hadn't.

Back on to the topic, however, we had just stopped and the Hobbits had almost thrown themselves onto the ground in relief. Celebi just sank into Grovyle's arms, unable to keep her tiny wings flapping. All the rest of us found places to sit and eased ourselves down. There was no fire; despite the little misadventure of Caradhras, we still couldn't afford to light one this far down – the risk of being found out, or worse, attacked, was too great.

"Well, it seems today's march is at an end," said Gandalf. "I have some _miruvor_, the cordial of Imladris. Pass it around, all of you, but take only a sip each, and then eat something."

We did as he said. The drink was somehow warm and smelled of spices – I thought I recognized cinnamon and others from my ancient home – and tasted sweet and refreshing as one of Spinda's warm mixes. As I drank I felt a heated trickle of life and energy seep through me, making me, unaffected by the long march as I was, feel as refreshed as though the day had just begun, though I was still drowsy and ready to sleep.

Once I had drunk I opened my Treasure Bag – which I had kept this whole time instead of putting all our baggage on the poor pack-pony, Bill – and took out four Big Apples, a Blue Gummi, and a Red Gummi. I tossed the Blue and two of the Apples over to Algator.

"Eat up," I told him.

"Thanks," he replied, taking a bite. After he finished chewing and swallowed, he asked, "How many more have we got?"

I took a quick inventory while I dug into my own first Apple. "I've got twelve more Big Apples, eight Apples, eight Huge Apples, and three more each of the Gummis," I said.

"I've got no food," Algator said, checking his. He was carrying our older, outdated Northern Bag, while I carried the Southern, "Just Seeds and Berries. Let me see… I've got four Sleeps, two Stuns, four Totters, three X-Eyes, five Orans, and two Sitrus."

"Hang on…" I said slowly. "What about Revivers?"

"What?" he asked. "I thought you were bringing them! You've got the other staples, like the Max Elixirs!"

"Reviver Seeds are a _Seed_!" I protested. "I thought you brought them!"

"I didn't," said Algator, putting his head between his hands and rubbing his temples with his claws. "Oh well. We'll have to make do. Just don't go down on me, all right?"

"You got it," I grinned. "And we've still got the Rescue Team Badges and the Exploration Team Badges. They'll keep us _alive_, at least, even if they will probably warp us all the way back to Rivendell, where we won't be able to do a thing."

"We'll be fine," Algator decided. "It's not like we're inexperienced when it comes to going without Revivers."

I laughed. "You'll just never let it go, will you?" I asked him. Once, after we'd finished the whole mess with Darkrai, I'd somehow convinced Algator to go with me all the way through the Hidden Land and up Temporal Tower _without a single item_, just to see if we could do it. We'd managed, but only just – Algator was at a tenth of maximum strength because of hunger alone by the end of it, and I wasn't any better. We'd tried the Sky Stairway, which was the newer (and far longer) version of the Sky Tower – which had changed upon coming down south after the Cataclysm – and had succeeded there too. A few weeks after that, we attempted to go even further in our new sport, which seemed to be getting popular among other Exploration Teams (it was being called Dungeon-Running), by taking on the World Abyss where Giratina lived, but that time to say that we were defeated would be putting it mildly. _Crushed _might be a better term. Algator still jokingly gave me trouble about that occasionally.

Still, Dungeon-Running had not been slowed by our failure. When we'd left, there was a sort of prestige rush to see who would be the first to pass us and bring down the World Abyss. I didn't expect to miss the winner during this excursion, though. World Abyss was _hard_.

"No," Algator said. "No I won't." He tossed me back one of the Big Apples and the Gummi. "Put them back," he said. "We need to ration."

I nodded and returned his Apple, as well as one of mine, and both Gummis. He was right, of course – we probably didn't have enough food to finish all of this even if we lived on an Apple a day. Two big ones and a Gummi was dangerously free – especially as we probably weren't getting any replacement.

Thus far in the journey, we'd been mostly living off whatever we could find each day – there were many plants in Middle Earth that I could easily recognize as being edible, at least to Arceans. This time, though, we wanted to indulge ourselves with some proper Arcean food. Still, the Gummis, to us, were like Gandalf's _miruvor_, and we needed to save it for when we needed it.

When we'd all finished eating, Gandalf called us all together. "We cannot, of course, go on again tonight," he told us. "The attack on Caradhras has tired us out, and we must rest here for a while."

"But tomorrow, whither will we go?" asked Boromir.

"That is the question we must answer," said Gandalf.

"Let's look at this logically," I said. "The Redhorn Gate is closed, as we've found out. The Gap of Rohan is too close to Isengard. Do we have the time to take a more distant pass?"

"No," said Aragorn. "And even if we did, Orcs and goblins watch all the easy roads."

"Of course," said Gandalf, "But there is one more road. I have not yet spoken of it to the company, but now I think it may be our only hope. We must take this road or go back – and if we go back, there be no future chance to take the Ring again. To go back is to admit defeat, and to face worse defeat to come. The road I speak of leads to the Mines of Moria."

Gimli looked up, his eyes burning suddenly with a fervor. The rest of the Middle-Earthers looked dismayed. "It may lead to Moria," said Aragorn grimly, "But who can say that it will lead _through_ Moria?"

"Those mines carry an ill name," said Boromir. "Surely the threat on the Gap of Rohan is not so much greater than that?"

"Nay, it is not," said Gandalf, "Not for all of us. But the Ring-bearer will be in greater danger there than even in the bowels of the earth, and that, not our own preservation, is our errand."

"Who can predict where Sauron sets his strengths?" asked Legolas suddenly. "It may be that we walk to our doom wherever we go. Indeed, it is all too likely that he watches all roads, in which case Moria is very dangerous."

"Indeed, it would be like unto walking direct into the stronghold of Barad-dûr," said Boromir.

"You speak of what you do not understand when you liken Moria to the dungeons of the Dark Lord," Gandalf said without rancor. "I alone among us have entered into his holds, and even then only into the lesser fastness of Dol Guldur. Those who enter the Dark Tower do not return. But out of Moria there is hope of return. I myself have entered into the Mines, _and _I have come out of them again, too.

"To summarize," Algator said suddenly, "We've got two choices: Give up or go to _and _through the Mines, unless we consider the tasteless option of death. Now, Star and I didn't get far thinking about the possibility of death, so let's not think about it. Our duty is to protect Frodo and bring him to Mount Doom. So I say that either we take a vote on which course to take and settle it democratically, _or _let Frodo himself decide."

"Well, I will go with you, Gandalf," said Gimli. "I would enter the halls of Durin; if you can find the doors."

"Thank you, Gimli!" said Gandalf. "You hearten me. We will seek the doors together, and come through we shall. In the Dwarves' ruins, a Dwarf's head will be less easily bewildered than Elves or Men or Hobbits. And I have been there, and some of the path I still remember."

"I too passed the Dimrill Gate once," said Aragorn. "And I too came out again, but the memory is very evil. I do not wish to enter Moria a second time."

"I don't wish to enter it even once!" said Pippin.

"Nor me," said Sam.

"Does anyone?" asked Grovyle quietly. "What we want doesn't matter. We do what we have to do. I'm with Gandalf."

"Thank you, Grovyle," said the Wizard. "What you say is only too true. The question is not 'Who wishes to enter Moria?' but who will follow me if I lead you there. And who will?"

"I will!" said Gimli eagerly.

"I will," said Grovyle.

"So will I," I said, causing Gandalf to look at me in surprise, which in turn reminded me that I had yet to apologize for my outburst on the mountain.

"And me," said Algator. His voice had a strange tense quality, and I looked at him to see what was the matter. For some reason, he was trying to hide a smile, and suddenly he burst out, "Frankly, I can't wait." He looked at me. "It's been too long by half since we dug through a Dungeon."

I laughed. "It has indeed, old friend; it has indeed." Suddenly, I had an idea. "When we enter the mines, I hope no one will mind if Algator and I separate from the main group for part of the time. Moria, I fear, will elicit a good deal of nostalgia, and I think we'll need to satisfy it with an exploration."

"The Mines are no laughing matter," said Aragorn. "They are very dangerous."

"So are we," said Algator calmly. "But we don't need to think about that now. Who else will go?"

"I will," said Aragorn heavily. "You followed me almost to disaster on Caradhras, and have not said a word of blame. I will follow you now, Gandalf, if this final warning does not move you. It is not of the Ring, nor of us others that I am thinking now, but of you; and I say to you: If you pass the doors of Moria, beware!"

"I will _not _go," said Boromir flatly. "Not unless all the company votes against me in this. What do Legolas, Lady Celebi, Lord Dusknoir, and the Hobbits have to say? The Ring-bearer's voice should be heard."

"I do not wish to go to Moria," said Legolas simply.

"I don't either," said Celebi. "First ice and snow, and now rock and darkness? No, I think it's too much. There has to be another way."

"I'm with Celebi," said Dusknoir. I'm not thinking of myself – as a Ghost-type, I don't fear the Mines – but Celebi, and you, Grovyle, I fear for. Being underground doesn't agree with Grass-types."

"And the Hobbits?" asked Boromir.

They didn't make any reply. Sam looked at Frodo, who spoke at length. "I do not desire to go," ha said; "But neither do I desire to refuse Gandalf's advice. I beg that there should be no vote until we have slept on it. Gandalf will get votes easier in the morning sun than in this cold gloom. How the wind howls!"

My eyes widened. Indeed, how the wind did howl. Almost like the howling…

I leapt to my feel, flapping to gain my balance. "_How the wind howls?_" I cried. "No, Master Baggins – say rather 'How the wolf howls'! The Wargs are here; west of the Mountains!"

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><p><strong>AN: Lots of lines directly taken from the book. Long chapter, right? How you liked it. I can't pretend updates will be common, but I think I finally getting back into it. Review and yell at me to keep writing, if you want faster updates!**


	19. Chapter 18: And Into the Fire

**A/N: Okay, who was expecting that title? Couldn't resist, sorry. Anyway, we're introduced to another of the Five Nightmares. This one, unlike Fikhse, is an OC, and their backstory is given.**

**ON another note, I have a contest I'm sending out at the end of this chapter. Check it out!**

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><p><strong>Enjoy!<strong>

**Chapter XVIII**

…**And Into the Fire**

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><p><strong>Algator POV<strong>

As one, all of us joined Star in standing. "Need we wait until morning then?" Gandalf said grimly. "The hunt is up. We cannot now journey south with the wolves behind us."

"How far is Moria?"Boromir asked.

"There was a door southwest of Caradhras," said Gandalf. "Maybe fifteen miles as the crow flies, or twenty as the wolf runs."

"Then let us make our way there as soon as it is light tomorrow, if we can," Boromir said. "The wolf that one hears is worse than the orc that one fears."

"True," replied Aragorn, "But where the wolf howls, there also the orc prowls."

"And where rhymes are made, there too the dead are laid," I snarled. "Shut up and get ready to fight."

They did. Star though, seemingly couldn't resist jibing, "Ah, there's that bard's talent I knew you had. You should use it more often."

I glared at him as I settled into a combat stance. Grinning, he came and lowered himself beside me. A little ways to our left, Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir had formed a triangular formation. I recognized it as the infamous Trinity Formation – Dusknoir, their tank/power hitter, was in front of the two others, Grovyle, their quick-striker, was to the left of and slightly behind him, and Celebi was to his right, ready to use her ranged capabilities.

The Trinity had been designed by Alakazam for his own Recue Team in the North, long ago, actually – Tyranitar in front, as their shield wall, Alakazam as their striker, and Charizard as their ranger. Since then it had become a classic battlefield technique for any fitting team, Rescue or Exploration. It seemed Team Soul had been working together long enough now to have mastered one of the best formations available to them.

The Hobbits, I noticed, didn't look happy with their position. "Stay behind us," I murmured to them, "We'll look after you."

"Thank you, Mr. Algator sir," said Sam gratefully as he, Pippin, and Merry came closer. Frodo, I noticed, was over near to Gandalf. Sam seemed to as well. "I must go to my master!" he cried, and left us.

"Well, you two stay here," I said to the remaining two Hobbits. "And don't worry."

Suddenly Star swore in ancient Northern Arcean. "Algator," he said flatly. "No more comforting. We're in trouble."

I turned, and tensed. My heart leapt up into my throat and stuck there. In front of us, glittering with sparks and tiny flashes of lightning, stood the Nightmare of Electricity, Threija.

_It would be her, wouldn't it? _I thought dully. _May Kyurem freeze you, Darkrai._

As though she could hear my thoughts, Threija laughed, a harsh, crackling sound, painfully changed from the crystalline tinkle she'd had before Darkrai took her. _Algator, my love,_ she murmured, a cruel smirk crossing her features as her glowing eyes met mine. _It has been far too long. How are you, dearest? Why have you not come to see me in so long?_

Star didn't even give me time to continue the banter of the demon that was made from the shell of my lover. He charged, face set in a mask of rage. His mouth opened, and his throat started to glow as fire seeped forth from within.

Threija didn't seem to like the idea much. Her fingers clamped together into a position like that of a karate chop and her arm swung about as through her hand was a sword. As she did this, electricity lanced out from her knife-hand extending like a sword outward. The blade slashed Star in the chest as he ran and he was thrown back to me, tiny bolts of lightning arcing all over his body.

I helped him up and looked at Threija. I couldn't hate her – not the Raichu I had loved. She had been co-leader of another Rescue Team. We'd first met on a joint mission to rescue a Camerupt that had gotten itself trapped on the 74th floor of Far-Off Sea. Star _said _that since their two-Pokemon team consisted of her – she was just called Raichu then – and her partner, a Meganium, they'd be really helpful in that Water-Type dungeon. I'd always had a feeling, though, that it was all some elaborate plot by Star and Meganium to get me together with Raichu – Star had run into their team a few months back, and was always trying to get me to meet her, saying I'd like her.

Like her I had. The moment I saw her, I fell in love with her – and going down the entire dungeon with her, watching her fight with a skill I'd never seen rivaled in an Electric-Type – including Zapdos and Raikou – only intensified it.

Before anyone knew what was happening, she and I were the ones planning rendezvous instead of our teammates. Within a year, we were mates.

And then, five years later, Darkrai had come. The Cataclysm had happened. And she was transformed from the beautiful Raichu I had known into Threija, the Nightmare of Lightning.

By now, tears were falling. _Aw, don't cry, _she whispered in a sadistic imitation of loving concern. _I'm here now._

"Burn in the Underworld, demon," snarled Star, leaning on me as he recovered. "Fikhse is one thing, but this? You've gone too far!"

_Oh, have we indeed? _cackled Threija. _Fool. 'All is fair in love and war,' is it not? That is a __**human **__saying, isn't it, spawn of men? Well, this is war, and it is love too, apparently. Do you not see? There is nothing you can do. If you kill me, you will have taken me from your dear partner. You cannot do that. And yet if you do not, Algator will be forever tormented by my existence as your enemy – and by the faint hope that I may be recalled to the cursed light. You are trapped between two blades, Starbane._

"A rock and a hard place," muttered Star, his eyes closed.

_What? _Threija hissed.

"The saying's 'trapped between a rock and a hard place'," Star said, opening his eyes, his face calm. "Another human saying."

Threija rolled her eyes. _Fool. You may be the Hero of Arcea, but you will die by the Master's hand when he stretches it forth._

"Maybe," said Star, and now his eyes narrowed. "But Darkrai still doesn't understand if he thinks it'll be that easy. He's strong. That defeat at the Lake was a ruse, and I know it. He probably can beat me – especially if he has you and the other Nightmares to count on. But that's not how it works.

"I'll start by flaming him. If he uses disable on my Flamethrower, I'll bite him. If he tears out my teeth, I'll claw him. It cuts off my claws, I'll choke him. If he cuts off my hands, I'll kick him. If he removes my legs, I'll club him with my tail. If he removes my tail, I'll curse him. If he rips out my tongue, I'll headbutt him. _I will never give in_."

There was a moment of silence as all of us stared at Star following this little speech, and then Threija, who looked as stunned as I'd ever seen a Nightmare look, tried to salvage her air of power by saying in an attempt at sarcasm, _Actually, if he cuts off your tail, you'll be dead – separated from your tail-flame._

"Whatever," Star grunted. "You get the point."

_Oh, yes. The point is that you can't keep track of your bodily capabilities as a Pokemon, _said Threija sardonically. _It's due to your humanity – and your human weakness. Enough. I will allow you to live today. Algator, I'm sorry, but our reunion must be delayed a little longer. _She gave me a feral grin. _Try to survive, _she whispered, almost seductively. _I'd very much enjoy it if Master Darkrai can catch you. We would make a grand pair of Nightmares, and Aguikh outlives his usefulness to our master. _Aguikh was the Nightmare of Water. _Farewell. Wargs! Do your task as it was set to you! _And she vanished in a bolt of lightning.

At once, Wargs charged in from all directions. Star and I met them halfway.

"We should have tried to get to high ground!" Star shouted at me over the howling wolves.

"Let's go there now!" I yelled back as I shoved my claws halfway down a lunging Warg's throat.

"There's a hill behind us!" Grovyle cried as he whirled, Leaf Blade active. "Everyone! Make for the hill behind us!"

"That won't work!" Star screamed. "_Heat Wave!_"

At once I felt the temperature rise to dangerous levels – but as always, I wasn't harmed. A lot of Wargs fainted dead away from the sudden rise in temperature, though.

"Now we can make for the hill!" Star called.

We did, and soon we were standing, all fourteen of us, in a ring atop the hill. The Hobbits stayed close to me, Star, Gandalf, or Aragorn. Bill, the pack pony was in the center of the circle. He was injured – his right-front leg was bent oddly and bled profusely.

There was a ring of stones around us and the wolves formed a circle around it. Some of them even came right up to it, growling at us. At a gap in the ring, suddenly a great Warg came up and stood alone. It howled, and suddenly I was taken back in memory to the time of the Cataclysm – remembering the war-horns of the great captains on both sides of the war. This wolf was a captain, calling forth its troops for battle.

"Listen, Hound of Sauron!" Gandalf cried, pointing his staff at it. "Gandalf is here. Fly, if you value your foul skin! I will shrivel you from tail to snout, if you come within this ring!"

"Leave burning and shriveling to be, Gandalf," said Star grimly. When I'm through with this thing, one won't even be able to find bones."

The wolf snarled and leapt at the Charizard. Star didn't even flinch. A Flamethrower lanced out and fire engulfed the wolf. True to Star's words, what fell was nothing more than dust and ashes. That wasn't natural – Star's fire wasn't _that _hot. These weren't normal wolves.

As one, all of the watching wolves turned tail and sped down the hill. What worried me, though, was the fact that there was not a single dismayed yelp. This wasn't a retreat – this was a feint.

A few hours later, I was proven right. At once the forest all around us lit up with howling and the Wargs charged at us from all directions.

"Stand back to back!" Star shouted. "Hold together! Celebi give me fuel!" He shat a great burst of flame at the dying remains of our fire as Celebi shot it with a couple Razor Leaves. It burst into light and heat like a bonfire.

In the sudden light I saw a veritable army of wolves leap over the stone ring. Star, though, had a plan. He flew up into the air with a couple flaps of his great wings and lanced Flamethrowers all around us in another circle. Now, just inside the ring of stones, a circle of flame defended us from the Wargs.

All of those wolves in the flame area quickly burned to death. Those inside were soon beheaded. My task now became quenching the fire whenever it tried to come inward. So we waited again, waiting for either dawn or for some brave wolf to leap through the fire.

None did. We all heard yelps as the wolves fled from the expanding fire, and Star, high above, called down, "They're running! This time really!"

"Good!" I called. I started hosing down the flames with by Hydro Pump. The entire forest seemed alight now – I only quenched the fires threatening us. "But next time try not to burn down everything, all right?"

"Fine," Star said as he alighted on the ground beside me. Anyway, it's nearly dawn."

I nodded.

"That was some heated flame, Master Star," said Gimli, coming up to us. "As you said, all that was left was dust and ash!"

"My fire's not actually that hot," Star replied. "There should have been at least some blackened bones. It must have been an enchanted wolf, if not merely an illusion."

"Bill's hurt!" cried Sam from his position behind the pony.

"I know!" I heard Celebi say as she came up to them. "I've got Oran Berries. He'll be as good as new in a moment."

"Sounds like everything's fine," Star said to me, grinning. "When people are worried about the pack animal, you know it's all right."

"Yes," I said with a grin. Then my smile faded. "Tomorrow we head for Moria."

"Yep," said Star with a sigh.

"Am I the only one with a bad feeling?" I asked him.

"Nope," he replied. "We're in for something – I'm sure of it."

"How bad?" I asked dully.

"Like the first time we faced Moltres," he grunted. I winced – we'd gotten _flattened_. "But I've been wrong before. We can hope."

"No other choice?" I asked hopefully. "No other road to take?"

"None."

"I guess we're stuck then."

"Yep."

A moment of silence. Then,

"Crap," I said.

"Yep," he replied.

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><p><strong>AN: How was it? Not as action scene-esque as you might expect from a battle, but I thought it was all right. Now, I have a question to pose to the lot of you: Who can guess what the other three Nightmares' elements will be? The first person to guess correctly will be allowed to make a request for a oneshot depicting any single piece of the lore I've set up for the between-games universe of PMD AS LONG AS it's not that missing time Star and Algator saved the world, OR it can be a fluff scene for any pairing I use. Answer via review or PM and make sure you have Private Messaging turned ON so I can reply. Thanks, and please, review!**


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